Ties That Bind
by Jade-Rose
Summary: Lucille Evans didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. A trip to America with her father was a pleasant diversion from the pressure of having to find a career, and changed her life forever. [Complete]
1. Prologue

_You'll remember me when the west wind moves_

_Upon the fields of barley_

_You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky_

_As we walk in fields of gold_

_So she took her love_

_For to gaze awhile_

_Upon the fields of barley_

_In his arms she fell as her hair came down_

_Among the fields of gold_

_Will you stay with me, will you be my love_

_Among the fields of barley_

_We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky_

_As we lie in fields of gold_

_See the west wind move like a lover so_

_Upon the fields of barley_

_Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth_

_Among the fields of gold_

_I never made promises lightly_

_And there have been some that I've broken_

_But I swear in the days still left_

_We'll walk in fields of gold_

_We'll walk in fields of gold_

_Many years have passed since those summer days_

_Among the fields of barley_

_See the children run as the sun goes down_

_Among the fields of gold_

_You'll remember me when the west wind moves_

_Upon the fields of barley_

_You can tell the sun in his jealous sky_

_When we walked in fields of gold_

_When we walked in fields of gold_

_When we walked in fields of gold_

Fields of Gold - Sting


	2. The Meeting

_Author's Note: I am basing this story on the original premise that Thunderbirds was set in 2026. Therefore the story starts in the early 1990's._

**

* * *

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**Ties That Bind**

**Part One**

"Lucy!"

"What is it?"

"Dinner's ready!"

"Okay."

Lucy Evans jumped reluctantly off her bed. She had been reading an interesting book, and when she got into interesting books, she didn't like to be interrupted. Lucy was twenty-one, and had just finished doing an English Literature degree. She was currently looking for a job, but she wasn't really sure what she wanted to do. Her father, a famous author, suggested that she should take up a temporary job in some offices, but Lucy didn't like the idea of a desk job. Lucy knew her own mind, and wouldn't be pushed into anything. She made her way into the dining room and sat down. Her younger brother was already there, tucking into the meal.

"Where's dad?" Lucy asked her mother.

"He'll be along in a minute. And don't disappear after you've finished. Your father wants to speak to you," her mother replied.

"Oh. What about? He's not found another job for me, has he?" Lucy said, flippantly. Her mother looked at her sharply.

"At least he's looking, which is more than you seem to be doing," she said.

"I'm not going to go into something just for the sake of it," Lucy replied, defiantly. Her mother simply let out a little sigh. Lucy could be so very trying at times. Still, perhaps the suggestion that her father was about to put to her would change things. At that point, Lucy's father, John, joined his family. The conversation over the meal was typical family talk – Peter's grades, John's job, and what Lucy was going to do with herself. After dinner, John spoke to his daughter.

"Lucy, come into my study, will you?" Lucy did as she was asked, and sat down on the comfiest chair. Her father sat down next to her.

"Well Lucy, I have a suggestion for you. No, don't pull that face. It's not about a job," he said.

"So, what is it about?" asked Lucy.

"I've been invited to a big social event and I'd like you to come with me," her father said.

"A social event? For what?" Lucy asked, not keen. She liked people, but "social event" suggested a load of posh types, whom she had no time for.

"Some charity," her father replied. "There's going to be a lot of famous people there."

"I don't know…" Lucy began, but her father cut her off.

"What if I told you that it's in New York?" he said, knowing full well that his daughter had an ambition to visit that city.

"When is it?" she asked, her face brightening.

"Next month. We'll make a holiday out of it. You can bring one of your friends with you, if you like," her father said.

"What about Peter?" Lucy said.

"It clashes with his exams. But I'll make it up to him," John said. Lucy grinned and hugged her father, suddenly feeling excited.

"I take that as a yes?" her father said.

"Yes!" Lucy replied.

Impatiently, Lucy waited for the month to pass by. She was taking her best friend Karen with her. They would be spending a fortnight in America in total, touring up and down the East Coast. For the umpteenth time, she checked she had her passport with her. Lucy was a very meticulous person, but she still worried about whether or not she had got everything with her. At the airport, she kissed her mother goodbye, and boarded the plane with her father and Karen. Her father and Karen both dozed on the flight, but Lucy was too excited to sleep. She had always dreamt of visiting America, especially the big cities. She had been to Florida on a family holiday before, but this was something different. At least when she went back home, she could say she'd met someone famous other than Mickey Mouse. She peered out of the window, looking down hundreds of feet at the ocean, then she looked back at the map on the screen some rows in front of her. Not much further!

A day later, after getting over some jet lag, the three of them arrived at the party. As it was a posh do, they were all dressed up. John wore a suit, whilst Karen wore a burgundy gown. Lucy had brought her favourite dress, a long black item, with a halter neck, and no sleeves. She had debated over whether she should wear her hair up or down, but in the end she decided to wear it down, and simply put a couple of pretty hair clips in it. Normally, Lucy didn't wear make-up, but Karen had insisted that she should for the occasion, and had done it for her. Both of the girls looked and felt quite grown-up. They entered the room, and were immediately swept up in the atmosphere.

"Oh, look! There's that man from…"

"Isn't that…"

"Doesn't she look old in real life?"

"Where's dad?" Lucy looked around for her father, but he had disappeared into the crowd after an old friend. The two girls took a glass of champagne each from a passing waiter, and stood a little out of the way, so that they could observe their surroundings better. Two men came up to them.

"What are you two pretty young ladies doing here?" one of them asked, pleasantly.

"I'm here with my father," Lucy replied.

"And who's that?" the other one asked.

"John Evans. He's an author," Lucy said.

"Yes, I think I've read some of his stuff. Very good," the first man said. At that moment, John himself came up to them.

"Mr Evans! What an honour to meet you!" the first man said, shaking his hand.

"Thank you," he replied. With the attention of the two men on Lucy's father, the two girls slipped away.

"That's the thing with these events, you never know whether they actually have followed your work or not," Lucy said.

"Well, they seemed nice enough," Karen replied, jovially.

"Let's go and see if there's some food," Lucy said, feeling hungry, even though they had had a meal beforehand. They found some nibbles and helped themselves.

"There's a lot of good looking men here," Karen said, a gleam in her eyes.

"Karen!" Lucy exclaimed.

"There's no harm in looking, is there?" Karen grinned. "I mean, it's not like we're going to get the attention of any of them. Anyway, I need the loo. That champagne's gone right through me." Karen went off in search of a toilet, leaving Lucy alone. She felt a little apprehensive about being alone in the middle of the room, but swallowed her nerves enough to look around her. As she looked behind her, her eyes met with those of a young man. He smiled at her, and she gave him a fleeting smile in return, before looking away, wishing that Karen would hurry up and return.

"Would you like another drink?" Lucy was startled by the voice beside her. She looked round, and saw the young man standing there, holding two more flutes of champagne. Lucy's current glass was practically empty, so she smiled at the man and took one of the flutes from him.

"Thank you," she said.

"Are you here alone?" he asked.

"No. I'm here with my father and a friend. My father was invited to this event and brought me along."

"Who's your father?"

"John Evans," Lucy replied.

"I've heard of him, but I'm afraid I've never read any of his books," the man said. He had an honesty about him that Lucy liked. It stood him out from the other people she had so far met.

"I'm Jeff, by the way," he said, extending a hand.

"Lucy," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it. "Well, actually, it's Lucille, but I can't stand it. I was named after my grandmother – no disrespect to her." She grinned at Jeff, and he returned the smile, his deep blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Do you want to go somewhere a bit quieter? It's a bit hard to talk when there's fifty other people talking at the same time," Jeff said. Lucy looked around her, searching for Karen.

"Well, I was…actually, yes, why not?" she said, changing her mind. She followed Jeff out of the room, into a sort of lounge area. It was much quieter, and at least there was somewhere comfy to sit down. Karen came back just in time to see Lucy disappearing and grinned to herself. She snuck after her, to see who it was whom her friend had gone off with. She took one look at Jeff, gasped, and was going to find John, when a lady saw Karen by herself and invited her over to have a chat with her party. Karen soon forgot about Lucy, and was swept up in her own conversations.

Meanwhile, Jeff and Lucy were having a pleasant conversation.

"So, whereabouts in England do you come from?" he asked.

"I was born in Portsmouth, but I currently live in Canterbury," Lucy said.

"As in the Canterbury Tales?" asked Jeff.

"Yes," said Lucy. "Have you been to England?"

"No, but I'd like to one day," he replied. "My great-grandfather was English."

"Do you live around here?" Lucy asked.

"I was born in Kansas – my dad was a wheat farmer," Jeff told her.

"You've not followed into the family business then?" Lucy asked.

"No, farming isn't my thing. I'm in the air force at the moment," Jeff replied.

"I wish I knew what I was going to do with my life," Lucy said, wistfully. "Nothing seems to appeal to me."

"I'm sure you'll find something," Jeff smiled at her.

"Well, I know what I don't want to do, so I suppose that's a start," grinned Lucy. Jeff returned the grin.

"How long are you here for?" he asked.

"Two weeks. We're going to be travelling up and down the coast, to fit in as much as possible. After all, it's not every day that we can afford to come here, even if dad does make a good income," Lucy said.

"I think you'd make a good writer too," Jeff said, suddenly.

"Why do you think that?" Lucy asked.

"I think it would suit you. Maybe even a journalist," he replied.

"Well I do have an English degree," Lucy said, thoughtfully. "I tried to avoid becoming a journalist because that's what nearly everyone who takes a degree in English wants to be."

"Hmm…guess that's out of the window then," said Jeff.

"Oh, I didn't mean that I wouldn't consider it," Lucy said, hastily. There was a short silence.

"Would you like something to eat?" Jeff asked.

"Yeah, I am a bit hungry," replied Lucy. She couldn't believe how much she seemed to be eating that day.

"Come on, let's go and fill a plate each before all the best bits go," Jeff said. Lucy jumped up, and together they made their way back into the main area. Nobody seemed to have missed them. They piled their plates with food, got some more to drink, then made their way back to the lounge area to continue their conversation.

Lucy found herself drawn to Jeff. He was very intelligent, and had a wonderfully dry sense of humour. They seemed to share similar interests too. She left his side temporarily to go and find some water. She bumped into her father.

"There you are! I've been trying to find you for ages. I want to leave in a few minutes," he told her.

"Already?" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's gone midnight!" her father said.

"Has it?" Lucy asked. She had completely lost track of time. "I have to go and say goodbye to someone."

"Well be quick about it," her father replied. Lucy sped off back to Jeff.

"Jeff, I've got to go. My father wants to leave," she said. He looked disappointed for a moment, but a second later the look had gone.

"Do you have a mobile?" he asked.

"Yes," Lucy said.

"Can I have your number?"

"Okay. I'll give you my email address too. That'll be cheaper than sending a text abroad!" Lucy replied.

"I'd like to see you again," Jeff told her as they exchanged numbers and emails. Lucy was taken aback.

"Umm…thanks," was all she could manage. Jeff looked at her, his deep blue eyes holding her hazel ones.

"I'm serious. How much longer are you going to be in New York for?"

"Two days. But my father and…"

"Your dad won't mind you meeting me for dinner or something, will he? I'm sure we could find somewhere near your hotel?"

"Yes…I suppose so," Lucy said, not really able to think straight.

"I'll phone you tomorrow," Jeff smiling at her.

"Okay. Bye, then," Lucy smiled back.

"Goodbye," Jeff replied. Lucy grinned at him again, then went back to where her father was waiting with Karen, looking impatient.

"What took you so long?" he asked as they began to make their way out.

"I was getting Jeff's phone number," Lucy said. Karen squealed.

"You were talking to him all evening?" she asked.

"Yes, I was. What about it?" Lucy said.

"Don't you know who you were talking to?" Karen asked. Lucy looked blank. "Lucy, you idiot. Don't you keep up with current affairs? That was Jeff Tracy, one of the people chosen to make the return trip to the moon!"

"He said he was in the air force," Lucy said, unable to comprehend.

"Yes, that's his current job. But he's been hand-picked to train as an astronaut," Karen said.

"He didn't say anything about that to me," Lucy said. "Anyway, he wants me to have a meal with him tomorrow or the day after."

"Where?" her father asked, sharply.

"He said he'd take me somewhere near our hotel," Lucy said, not really noticing her father's tone of voice. Karen squealed again.

"You lucky cow!" she exclaimed. Lucy poked her in the ribs.

"Hmm. I don't know if I want you going off round New York with a stranger, whatever his occupation," her father said.

"Dad, please! Jeff's really nice. You'd like him – I should have introduced you," begged Lucy.

"Well, we'll see," her father replied, not keen on the idea at all. He privately hoped that this Jeff was just flattering his daughter, and wouldn't call her back. Never mind, he'd deal with the matter in the morning after a good nights sleep.


	3. Dinner

**Part Two**

Lucy awoke the next morning with a jump.  She remembered the previous night, and sat up to reach her mobile phone on the cabinet beside her bed.  There wasn't any message from Jeff yet, but it was early morning.  In the next bed, Karen mumbled something in her sleep as she turned over.  Lucy looked at her watch.  Eight Thirty.  She decided to get up and go and find some breakfast.  She hated spending any time in bed past nine o'clock as she felt as if the day were wasted.  She slipped on some casual clothes and tied her hair back.  She would have a shower after some food.  

To her surprise, her father was already in the dining room of the hotel munching on some toast.  He smiled at Lucy as she sat down with a bowl of cornflakes.

 "I thought that we could go and see the Statue of Liberty today," he said.

 "Yeah, I suppose so," Lucy replied, half-heartedly.  Her father gave her a look.

 "You're not really expecting him to contact you, are you?" he asked.

 "Jeff said he would," Lucy answered.  Her father sighed.

 "Lucy…even if he does, and even if I am somehow convinced to let you meet him for a meal, you won't see him again after that."

 "You don't know that," Lucy replied.

 "Tell me how you plan on seeing him again.  You can't afford to make regular flights to the States, and even if you could, he's going to be busy with his training for the moon mission," her father said, gently.  Lucy pursed her lips together, knowing that her father was right, but at the same time, she was determined to prove him wrong.  Instead, she said,

 "You make it sound as if we were going out together or something." 

 "Young men don't ask young ladies out for a meal without reason," her father replied, a gleam in his eyes.  Lucy tried to stop herself blushing but without success.

 "Dad…it'll just be a meal," she said.  Her father simply smiled at her.  They ate some more of their breakfast in silence.

 "Perhaps I could let you go, if I was able to at least take you to wherever you'd meet him," her father said.

 "I'm perfectly capable of going by myself if it's nearby.  I'm a grown-up, not a child," Lucy said, crossly.

 "You're still my daughter," replied her father.  Lucy shook her head.  At that moment, Karen joined them, still rubbing her eyes.

 "Nice of you to join us, sleepyhead," Lucy jibed.  Karen simply yawned in reply.

 "Hope you're not going to be too tired today Karen.  We've got a lot to see yet," Lucy's father said.

 "I'll wake up in a bit.  I just need some food," Karen mumbled, and stumbled off to find some.

 "I'm going to get washed," Lucy said, gulping down the last of her tea.

 "Okay, I'll come and fetch you when it's time to go," her father said.  Lucy made her way back to her room, and checked her phone again.  Still nothing, but it was still early in the day.  She jumped into the shower, and let her mind drift off into daydreams.

By lunchtime, Lucy had been up the Statue of Liberty, and had seen a great deal of Manhattan, but she had still heard nothing from Jeff.  She began to wonder if her father was right and Jeff didn't really want to see her again.  But he had seemed such a nice, open person…

 "Beep beep!"  The noise of her phone in her bag shook her out of her thoughts, and she hurriedly felt through her bag to find it.  She took it out and looked at it.  One new message.  

 "That from Jeff?" Karen asked.

 "Shh!" said Lucy, reading the message.

_Hi, hope I'm not too late!  I'll be able to meet u about six.  Is that ok?  Jeff._

Lucy allowed a big grin to spread across her face, as she sent him a message back telling Jeff that that would be fine.  

 "I'm meeting Jeff at six," she told her father.

 "Where?"

 "I don't know yet."

 "And what are Karen and I supposed to do this evening?"

 "Oh, I don't mind Lucy going to see Jeff," Karen piped up, much to Lucy's delight and John's chagrin.  Lucy's phone beeped again, and she read the message before turning to her companions.

 "He said he wants to meet me outside that little Italian place just down the road from the hotel," she said, and looked directly at her father.  He sighed to himself, knowing that he was fighting a lost cause.  When Lucy got her mind set on something, there was no stopping her.

 "Very well.  You can go," he said.  Lucy smiled at him.  "But I'm going to walk you there, as we discussed this morning," he added.  Lucy didn't argue with him this time, despite wishing that her father wouldn't baby her.  Still, at least it would allow him to meet Jeff.

Later that day, Lucy was ready to go.  She wasn't sure what to wear, so she went for something that wasn't too formal, but wasn't too casual either.  Karen had given her a hug for good luck.

 "Just enjoy yourself!" she had said.  Lucy began to feel a bit nervous as she and her father made their way to the restaurant.  Was Jeff going to be the same as he was the previous night?  Would they be able to chat away comfortably again?  Her apprehension was lifted somewhat, when she saw Jeff waiting for her.  He was exactly as she remembered him – tall, dark haired, lovely dark blue eyes and a charming smile.  

 "Hi," he greeted her.

 "Jeff, this is my father," Lucy said.  "Dad, this is Jeff."

 "Pleased to meet you, sir," Jeff said, shaking John's hand.  John was taken aback a little by the absolute politeness of the young man, but then remembered his air force background.

 "Likewise.  Well, have a nice evening," he smiled at them, then turned and began make his way to the hotel.  Lucy turned to Jeff.

 "I'm sorry about that.  He insisted on coming along."

 "Don't be.  It was nice to meet him," Jeff replied, leading the way into the restaurant.  They were shown to a table, and sat down.  They were given a menu to ponder over.

 "Did you stay very long last night?" asked Lucy.

 "No, I left not long after you," Jeff replied.  Lucy held a short silence before speaking again.

 "You didn't tell me that you were going to be one of the astronauts on the new moon landings," she said, a little accusingly.  Jeff looked up from studying his menu.

 "It was nice to talk to somebody who had no idea who I was and therefore wasn't going to ask me a million questions about the moon," he replied.  

 "Are you really that well recognised?" Lucy asked.

 "In America, in the big cities, yes.  Although the mission isn't for another few years, there's been a lot of publicity about it," Jeff replied.  "But it's dying down for the time being."

 "I bet you're really looking forward to it," Lucy said.  

 "Yes and no," Jeff said.  "On one hand, it's something I never expected to be doing, on the other, it seems quite far away."

 "The landings are to do with possible colonisation of the moon, aren't they?" asked Lucy, trying to remember what she'd read about it.  There hadn't been too much publicity in England about it so far.

 "Yes.  We'll be doing tests and suchlike.  I don't really know the details yet," Jeff replied.

 "I can't imagine people living on the moon.  It sounds too much like science fiction," Lucy said, with a laugh.

 "Anything is possible," Jeff told her.  At that point, the waiter came to take their orders, and the conversation moved onto other subjects.  Jeff told Lucy a story about a pet cat of his that got its head stuck in a tin.  Although it must have been frightening for the poor cat, which wasn't harmed by the ordeal, Jeff's re-enactment of the event, complete with sound effects had Lucy laughing so much she snorted some of her drink out of her nose.  The meal itself was nice, being genuine Italian cuisine.  Lucy felt that she would never be able to eat dried supermarket pasta again with the same enthusiasm.  She wasn't fussy about her diet, and eagerly ordered a dessert.

 "I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat as much as you," Jeff said, amused.

 "I'll eat pretty much anything," Lucy replied.  "Though my cooking skills aren't something to be proud of, I'm afraid!  I've not inherited my mother's culinary skills."

 "My mother always cooks too," Jeff said.  "With living on a farm, she grew her own vegetables, and pretty much made her own cakes, bread, marmalade…you name it, she can do it."

 "Funny how times change," Lucy said.  "Most people wouldn't think of growing their own stuff nowadays."

 "In the future, I think people will be more likely to be self-sufficient," said Jeff. 

 "How so?"

 "History goes in circles.  Whilst people today live fairly insular lives, in the future, I think that there will be a greater sense of community.  Well, that's what I'd like to see."  He looked slightly bashful at this, and took a sip of his drink to hide the fact.

 "Like Star Trek?" Lucy asked, blurting out the only example she could think of.  She hoped that Jeff wouldn't think that she was making fun of him, but to her relief, he grinned.

 "I suppose so.  I'd expect we'll be exploring space in the next century or two."

 "Star Trekkin' across the universe," smiled Lucy.

 "Boldly going forward coz we can't find reverse," finished Jeff.  The pair of them burst into laughter.  The conversation turned to other forms of cheesy music, and together they picked out an amazing number of one hit wonders.  

But soon it was time for the meal to come to an end.  They collected their coats and made their way outside.  The sun was setting, clothing the surrounding buildings in a strange golden aura.

 "Where do you want to go?" asked Jeff.

 "I don't know," replied Lucy, looking at her watch and seeing that it wasn't too late – in her opinion – into the evening.  Besides, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jeff before they had to go their separate ways.

 "Shall we go for a walk?" he asked.  Lucy smiled at him and nodded her head.  Together, they set off down the road, in silence.  Lucy couldn't believe that she had only met Jeff twenty-four hours previously.  It felt longer than that.  But though she tried to remind herself that a day was not a suitable amount of time to really get to know someone, Lucy felt that Jeff was someone she was meant to know, for want of better words.  

 "When will you have leave again?" Lucy asked.

 "I'm not sure.  Definitely around Christmas, though I'm hoping to have some time off before then," Jeff replied.  

 "How long is it until you leave the air force?"

 "About another year, then I start my astronaut training."  He seemed to sense what Lucy was thinking, and took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

 "I'm sure we'll work something out," he told her.  He didn't let go of her hand however, much to Lucy's happiness.  She could tell that Jeff was someone who worked hard and understood that she would have to come second to Jeff's work, for the time being at least.  Perhaps one day…she shook herself in her mind.  She shouldn't allow herself to get carried away.  Instead, she looked up at Jeff, and smiled.  He smiled back at her, and she felt a twinge in her stomach as she looked into his eyes.  Oh dear.  The more she fought what she was feeling, the more she seemed to be enchanted by Jeff.  She wondered if he felt the same way.  Obviously, he liked her, but she couldn't tell how much.  Eventually though, their path took them back to Lucy's hotel.  They stood outside.

 "Well, I guess this is goodbye," Jeff said.

 "I suppose so," Lucy replied.  There suddenly seemed to be an air of awkwardness between them.  

 "I've had a nice time," Jeff said.  "I thought I'd be bored when they told me I had to attend the charity event but…well, it shows that you never know what might happen."

 "It does," Lucy said.  "My mother won't believe me when I get home."

 "Don't forget to keep in contact," Jeff said.

 "Of course I won't," Lucy replied.  She looked at him, and got the feeling that Jeff was suddenly holding back from her.  

 "Enjoy the rest of your trip," he said.  Lucy couldn't bear it, and wrapped her arms around him.  She felt him tense up in surprise, but a moment later, she felt his arms hugging her back, quite tightly.  She wished she could stay inside the embrace for longer, but Jeff released her.  Sensing that it was really time to go, Lucy looked up at him, and smiled.

 "Have a safe journey back to your base," she said.

 "Thank you," Jeff replied.

 "Hopefully we will be able to meet again sometime soon," Lucy said.

 "I hope so too," Jeff said.  "I'd better be on my way."

 "Yes, I should get back to my room," Lucy said, feeling tears prickling the back of her eyes.

 "Goodbye, Lucy," Jeff said, smiling at her.

 "Bye Jeff," Lucy managed to smile back.  Finally, Jeff began to make his way back to his own hotel, and Lucy made her way inside, though not without a backward glance.  She felt a little confused by his sudden change in attitude, which didn't help the fact that she was upset about having to say goodbye to him.  She knocked gently on the door of her room.  Karen had promised to wait up for her.  Lucy gave a shuddering sigh as the door opened.  No, she decided.  Despite the awkward goodbye, she knew that as far as she was concerned, it wasn't going to be the last she saw of Jeff Tracy.


	4. Together In London

_Author's Note:  I just want to say thanks to everyone for making the "Thunderbirds" section on FF.net such addictive reading!  It's great to finally find some TB fanfic, and excellent ones at that!_

The rest of the following two weeks had flown by.  Lucy had enjoyed the trip to America, and not just because of whom she had met.  Her mother had teased her when she mentioned Jeff, although she expressed her surprise to her husband.

 "This Jeff has left a real impression on Lucy," she said.

 "He seems a nice young man," John had replied.  "Anyway, Lucy would see through him if he wasn't."

 "Yes, she would," Caroline agreed.  She was even more surprised by the change in Lucy.  Instead of flicking idly through the papers for jobs, she was phoning _them_ for a job.  The local ones, at least.

 "What on Earth are you doing?" Caroline had asked her daughter.

 "Getting a job," Lucy had replied, with her usual casualness.

 "Doing what?" 

 "Journalism.  I need some experience before I apply for a postgraduate course that will give me a qualification," Lucy said.

 "What's brought this on?"

 "A suggestion that I've been thinking about," Lucy replied, and Caroline had left it at that.  Sure enough, Lucy got a job at one of the local papers as a reporter.  Despite having to look at menial things such as cats stuck up trees, and bratty ten-year-olds winning national competitions, she actually enjoyed it more than she thought she would.  The reason for this sudden burst of activity was simple; Lucy had considered Jeff's suggestion and decided to go for it.  She had always had a penchant for writing anyway.  Besides, journalists could get work anywhere…anywhere in the world.  If, and it was a big if, things worked out between herself and Jeff, she would have skills to get a job in America.  He still kept in touch with her, and they had even spoken on the phone near Christmas.  Lucy hated the feeling of limbo that she was currently in.  She was sure that if she and Jeff had lived near each other, they would be going out together.  The correspondence they exchanged were not love letters, yet the content was more than that of people who were simply friends.  Jeff had asked her for a photograph of herself, so she had sent one over in his birthday card.  He sent her one of himself in his uniform, taken during some special day that his squadron had taken part in.  Lucy loved it, and kept it in a frame by her bed, with other photographs of those closest to her.  Her mother had admired it.

 "He is a rather fetching man, isn't he?  When you said he was in the forces, I kept imagining one of those Sergeant-Majors with massive shoulders and loud voice," she said.  Lucy had just laughed.  Her mother and herself had never seemed to be of the same mind, but somehow, it didn't matter anymore.  She worked hard at her job and applied for a suitable course that would further her cause.  She was successful in her application, but before she was due to go on it, she received some news that only further served to fuel her happiness.  

 "Jeff's coming to London next week!" she announced at dinner.

 "What for?" her father asked.

 "He's coming over as part of a group that are going to be attending an international conference on space exploration," Lucy explained.  "He's here for a couple of days, and thought that we could meet up."

 "That's nice, dear," her mother said.  "What about work?"

 "I've already sorted that out," Lucy replied, with a smile.

 "I should have guessed," her father said, dryly. 

The next ten days or so went by quite slowly, so it seemed.  Eventually though, Lucy was on the train to London.  The journey took nearly an hour and a half before she arrived in Victoria station.  Then she made her way to Trafalgar Square via the Underground.  She had arranged to meet Jeff there as it was the first thing that she could think of that had obvious points of reference to meet someone by.  She arrived by the lions, but there was no sign of Jeff.  She waited patiently for a few minutes, watching the hustle and bustle of the people going by.

 "Lucy!"                                                                                                     

She turned round and saw Jeff coming towards her.  She grinned a huge grin, and practically ran towards him and gave him a hug, which he returned.

 "Your hair looks different," he said, surveying her russet locks.

 "Just a bit of a trim," Lucy replied.  "Manage the tube okay?"

 "Yeah, not too bad," Jeff said as they set off together.

 "How much have you seen of London?" Lucy asked.  

 "Not as much as I would have liked," Jeff replied.  Lucy thought for a moment.

 "Hey, maybe we could go up the Thames on a boat later.  I've always wanted to do that.  So long as the weather holds, of course."

 "I'd like that," Jeff smiled at her, and slipped an arm through hers.  "So, what are we going to do in the meantime?"

 "Well, if we stay in the centre, we can have a look at most things," Lucy said.  "I know my way around a little bit because of my father, but I'm afraid I'm no tourist guide!"

 "You'll do just fine for me," Jeff replied, making Lucy grin bashfully.

 "Glad to hear it," she said, brightly.

By lunchtime, they had taken in a reasonable amount of London's tourist attractions.  Jeff found that he liked London more than he thought he would, and took his time to admire the architecture of some of the buildings until Lucy pulled on his arm, impatient and wondering what was so fascinating about an old edifice.  It was quite different from how he had assumed it would be – there was more to England's capital than red buses and Cockneys.  Indeed, he had yet to hear one person sound like Dick Van Dyke's chimneysweeper in "Mary Poppins".  Then again, Lucy didn't sound stereotypically posh, despite coming from the south.  

 "Hungry?"

 "Yes, I am."

 "Let's go and find somewhere to eat."

 "Lucy…can we go and get some fish and fries?"  Jeff asked, hopefully.  His father had ordered him to try some of the famous English dish, to see if it was as good as his grandfather made out it was.  Lucy burst out laughing.

 "Fish and chips, Jeff!  Alright, there must be a chippy around here somewhere," she replied.  After a short search, they found a little place, and got themselves something to eat.  They found a bench to sit down on and enjoy their meal.

 "What do you think?" Lucy asked.

 "Not bad," Jeff said.  

 "Try some mushy peas," Lucy said, waving a fork in front of him.  Jeff pulled a face.

 "I'm not that brave," he replied, with a smile.  

 "You don't know what you're missing," Lucy said to him.

 "Yes I do," Jeff grinned.  They sat in silence for a short while, whilst they ate their food.  Jeff was almost at the end of his stint in the air force.  Another three months, and he would be done, and ready to start his astronaut training.  Lucy was to start her postgraduate course in six weeks.  They were both progressing with their lives, yet somehow they remained on an intertwined path.  

 "I'll have to come and visit Canterbury one day," Jeff said.

 "Yes, you should," Lucy said.  "It's quite an interesting place, historically.  Lots of old buildings for you to gawp at."

 "Hey!" Jeff replied, trying not to laugh.  Lucy grinned at him.

 "Anyway, my mother is keen to meet you at some point."

 "My mother doesn't think you exist," Jeff said with a laugh.  "She thinks I'm making the whole thing up to stop her asking me about when I'm going to settle down."

 "Really?"

 "No, she's just teasing.  With me being an only child, both mother and my father are anxious for me to follow the right path," Jeff said.

 "And what's 'the right path'?" Lucy asked.

 "Oh, you know, good job, good money, nice family," Jeff said.

 "I suppose all parents are like that," Lucy said.

 "Yeah, but you've got your brother.  When it's just yourself, the expectation can be a lot," Jeff told her.

 "You should do what you want to," Lucy said.  "Nobody lives your life except for you."

 "I know.  That's why I went into the air force, so I didn't have to go into farming.  But my parents are proud of me, and that's what matters."

 "What matters is that you are proud of yourself," Lucy said.  

 "Well, you can't argue with being chosen for a moon landing," Jeff replied, with a smile.

 "No, you can't," Lucy agreed.

They finished their meal, and wandered along to where the tourist boats were docked, ready to take their passengers up the Thames.  The ride was a little bit choppy, and both of them ended up wishing that they hadn't eaten beforehand.  Other than that, it had been quite enjoyable.  Jeff had to be heading back to his hotel in a couple of hours, and Lucy had a train to catch, so they decided to go for a walk in a park, in order that there was somewhere quiet to talk.

 "Well, my course is only six months, so I can look for a good job soon," Lucy said.

 "Have you thought of applying for a Visa?" Jeff asked.

 "I haven't," Lucy admitted.  She hadn't looked into that part of things.

 "You could apply for one that would allow you to work in the States for a few months," Jeff said.

 "I've heard something about that," Lucy replied.  "But I've also heard that it's hard to get one."

 "It'll take a few months to come through, so maybe you could apply for one now, and by the time you've done your course, you'll be able to come over."

 "But I'd have to have a job to go to, won't I?"

 "Yes, but there's always vacancies for your line of work," Jeff assured her.  "And you'd have somewhere to live – you can live with me."

 "Really?"

 "Yeah, sure.  I'm getting an apartment in Houston.  There'll be plenty of room for you," he smiled.  "That's if you want to come, of course."

 "Of course I do," Lucy said, pulling on his arm and making him stop walking.  She looked up into his deep cobalt eyes.  "It's what I've been working towards."

 "I know you have.  I really want to make a go of this, Lucy," he said, seriously.

 "So do I," Lucy replied, equally as serious.  Jeff snapped out of the little spell between himself and Lucy.

 "I nearly forgot," he said, and fished around in his jacket pocket, bringing out a small flat box.  "Here's a little something I got for you."

 "Thank you," Lucy said, taking the box and feeling a little guilty that she hadn't thought to get him anything.  She opened the box up to reveal a pretty rose-gold chain.  She took it out to admire.

 "Jeff, you shouldn't have. It's beautiful!" 

 "I just saw it one day and thought that it would suit you," Jeff said.  He helped Lucy to fasten it round her neck.

 "Does it look okay?" Lucy asked, unable to see herself.

 "It looks lovely," Jeff assured her.  Lucy popped the box into her bag, and gave Jeff a hug.

 "Thank you," she said, again.  She raised her head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  He took her hand and held it tightly.  He looked into her eyes.

 "Lucy…"

 "Shh," she interrupted, quietly.  "I don't want to hear it."  Lucy forgot that they were standing in a park.  Instead, she raised her head to Jeff's again.  This time she didn't have to reach very far before she felt his lips press against hers, hesitatingly at first, then more committed.  Lucy melted inside, as the kiss got more intense.  She had waited so long for this moment, and she didn't want it to end.  It had to though, and she found herself gazing into Jeff's eyes again, with a smile.  Jeff raised a hand and tucked a stray bit of Lucy's hair behind her ear.

 "I wish I didn't have to say goodbye," he said, softly.

 "It won't be for much longer, if everything works out," Lucy replied.  Jeff nodded, and pulled her close again, unable to resist another kiss.  He had been taken with Lucy since he first laid eyes on her at the charity event in New York, and like her, had tried to resist getting too many feelings towards her.  This was partly due to the fact that he was cautious about letting people know him too well, but also because he wasn't sure if Lucy was for real.  He hadn't realised how much he was actually smitten by Lucy until he saw her that morning.  It was going to make going home harder than he thought.   He took her hand again, and together they continued on their walk through the park.  When they reached the other side, they came to an Underground station, and they made their way into it.  

 "My mother's useless at trying to use this," Lucy grinned.  "She can never work out where she's going.  Once she tried to put her ticket in the wrong slot at the barrier – I was only about twelve, and had to tell her she was doing it wrong!"

 "She sounds quite a character," Jeff said.

 "She is.  She drives me up the wall…but I suppose I do the same to her," Lucy said, thoughtfully.

 "I bet you do," Jeff said, slyly.  The comment earnt him a poke in the ribs.  They giggled like a pair of schoolchildren, earning them strange looks from the other people on the train.  Eventually though, they reached Victoria Station.

 "Time to say goodbye again," Lucy said, trying to sound upbeat.

 "It's not goodbye, it's just that we won't see each other for a while," Jeff answered, trotting out the well-known phrase.  

 "At least you didn't say, 'It's not goodbye, it's just that I won't ever see you again.'" Lucy smiled, quoting a favourite film.  Jeff grinned as he wrapped her in a hug.  They kissed again, not wanting to part.  As he hugged Lucy for one last time, Jeff lowered his head so he could tell her something that he could no longer keep to himself.

 "I love you."


	5. America Bound

**Part Four**

The long slog to obtain a visa was over, and Lucy had a job to go to in Houston.  It was only for four months, but it didn't stop Lucy's mother fussing over her.

 "It's an awfully long time," she said.

 "No it's not," Lucy said.

 "It is when you're in a strange country and you have no friends or family."

 "I'll have Jeff," Lucy replied.

 "What if you fall out?" her mother asked.  Lucy paused.

 "Well, depends how bad it is.  Anyway, this will be the test to see if things really can work out between us," she said.  Her mother had let it go, and Lucy was now on her way.  Her father had been cautious about the idea, but he thought that overall, it would be a good thing for her.  Her brother seemed more concerned with the fact that he'd have use of Lucy's television and stereo whilst she was away.  Lucy knew that she'd miss everyone at home, but at the same time, she had a big adventure to look forward to, and the excitement of that helped ease any homesickness she may have felt.  Her mind turned to other things as the plane touched down at Houston airport.  She felt a little anxious as she went through customs, and her passport and visa were scrutinised, but everything checked out, and she was allowed to pass through into the arrivals lounge.  Lucy looked at the sea of faces for Jeff, and soon spotted him.  He was looking quite tanned, and Lucy remembered that he had been spending some time back at his parent's farm.  She went up to him as fast as she could whilst dragging her luggage behind her, and threw her arms round him.  Before he could say anything, she planted a big kiss on his mouth, which he responded to fully.

 "Good journey?" Jeff asked.

 "Not bad.  Food left a lot to be desired though," Lucy replied.  Jeff smiled at her and took hold of both of her suitcases.

 "Let me take one of those," Lucy protested.

 "I'm fine," Jeff told her, shooing her away.  Lucy tried to pretend to look miffed, but ended up giggling.  Jeff led the way to where he was parked, and soon they were out of the airport, and driving back to where Jeff lived.  They chatted to each other about various things.  It was almost as if they had never been apart.  As they entered Houston itself, Jeff pointed out various landmarks and places of interest to Lucy.  It was late afternoon, and the sun was reflecting off the buildings, giving the city centre a sort of glittery look.

 "That's where you'll be working," Jeff said, pointing out an imposing looking building.  

 "It looks huge for a small local network," Lucy said.

 "I think that there's more than one company there," Jeff replied.  "That's usually the case, anyway."

 "Yes, I suppose that there would be," Lucy said.  "Where's the space centre?"

 "It's outside of town, the opposite side to the airport," Jeff told her.  "I'll take you up there one day.  They do tours and stuff, but I'll probably be able to arrange to take you to look at stuff the public doesn't normally get to see."

 "That'll be nice," Lucy replied, and stifled a yawn.  Jeff noticed.

 "You can't be that tired?" he asked, teasingly.  "It's four O'clock in the afternoon."

 "Maybe to you it is," Lucy replied.  Eventually they arrived at Jeff's apartment.  Jeff showed her in.

 "It's nothing special," Jeff said, in a semi-apologetic tone.  Lucy disagreed.

 "I think it's lovely.  You wouldn't be able to get a place like this back home cheaply," she said, looking round the apartment before seating herself on the sofa.  She looked slyly over her shoulder at Jeff, who was in the kitchen making them both a drink.

 "Are you always this tidy?" she asked him.  Jeff gave her an embarrassed grin.

 "I am pretty tidy, but…yeah, I spent most of yesterday cleaning," he replied, coming to sit beside her and handing her a cup of coffee.  "It was just milk, wasn't it?"

 "Yes, thank you," Lucy replied.

 "Tell me again when you have to start your job?"

 "Next week," Lucy said.

 "Good.  I thought that perhaps after you've settled in we could go and visit my parents in Kansas for a few days?" Jeff suggested.  

 "I'd like to meet your parents," Lucy smiled at him.  "It'll be nice to see some more of the country, too."

 "Well, there's not much to see on the way except fields, fields and more fields," replied Jeff.

 "Oh, well, I'll just have to look at you then," Lucy replied.  "What a shame."  Jeff put down his coffee and tickled her. 

 "Not while I've got a hot drink in my hands!" Lucy shrieked.

 "Shh!" Jeff hissed, good-naturedly.  "I've got neighbours!"  Lucy put her drink down.

 "I don't care," she said, nonchalantly, and tried to tickle him back.

 "I'm not ticklish," Jeff told her.

 "Everyone is ticklish somewhere," Lucy grinned, prodding him in the ribs and trying to find a weak spot.  Jeff laughed, then tickled her again, making her squeal until he hushed her with a long kiss.

Later on in the evening, the initial excitement of being together had worn off, dinner had been eaten, and the couple were lying lazily on the sofa watching television.  At least, one of them was.  Jeff glanced down at Lucy, whose head was resting on his chest.

 "Luce?" he asked, gently.  There was no response.  He shook her gently, making her stir.  "Maybe you'd be better off in bed," he suggested.

 "In a bit," Lucy murmured, and lay her head back down.  Jeff ran a hand through her hair, then kissed the top of her head.  He still couldn't quite believe that Lucy was here with him.  All the months apart and now she was here to stay.  He had never felt this way about any of his previous girlfriends.  What had it been in that brief eye contact he first shared with Lucy that had drawn him to her?  Jeff never had believed in love at first sight, and still didn't, but he supposed that meeting Lucy came close to it.  He yawned.  It was getting quite late, and whilst he was loathe to spoil the moment, he needed to go to bed.  He was going to sleep on the sofa, despite the bed being a double one.  Maybe later…but right now he didn't think it appropriate.  He moved to sit up, disturbing Lucy again.  She sat up too and looked at him, bleary eyed.  

 "Bedtime, I think," Jeff said.  Lucy stretched.

 "Yes, I suppose so," she replied, sleepily.  She rubbed her eyes.  Jeff kissed her.

 "Goodnight," he said.

 "Night," she replied, returning the kiss.  Her eyes were practically shut even before she got into bed.  Jeff watched her disappear, and then prepared to settle down on the sofa for the night. 

The next morning, Lucy felt much refreshed.  She had awoken with a start, and for a second wondered where she was, but then she got out of bed and wandered through to the kitchen to get some breakfast, where she found that Jeff was already up.  After breakfast, they went for a walk around the local area and then went into Houston itself for a look around.  They met one of Jeff's friends, a jolly man called Rob who was delighted to meet Lucy, and probably would have chatted to the pair of them all day, until Jeff managed to make an excuse, with the promise that they'd have to meet up soon.  Lucy liked Houston, but couldn't help but notice the occasional sideways glance in Jeff's direction, particularly when they were wandering through the business district.  She realised that as the Millennium moon landings got closer, the publicity would build up again, and Jeff would become a mini celebrity.  Well, she'd tackle that when it came.  It was still a few years away yet.  She grimaced slightly as she remembered that she'd be twenty-eight in the year 2000.  Perhaps by then she'd have an established job and Jeff would have some kind of engineering job – his background was in this subject, and he had told her that he'd like to stay involved in it.  After all, he wouldn't be an astronaut forever.  And who knew what else the twenty-first century would bring?

 "Daydreaming?" Jeff asked, interrupting her thoughts.  She smiled at him.

 "I was just thinking about some things," she said.  They returned home in the afternoon, a little tired, but happy.

 "I feel like we've been together for months," Lucy said.

 "We have, in a sense," Jeff replied.

 "Yes, I know, but we've only actually been in each other's company four times," Lucy told him.  Jeff's eyebrows rose in unison.

 "Is that all?" he asked.  Lucy nodded.  He grinned, and put his arms round her.

 "Well, I'm sure we'll make up for it," he said.  Lucy hugged him back.

 "I'm sure we will," she said. 

The following day saw Jeff and Lucy head off to Kansas.  It would be a long drive, so they had set off fairly early in the morning.  Lucy watched the scenery go by.

 "I've always imagined myself travelling across America in a convertible or on a big motorcycle," she said.  "Even though I don't like motorcycles," she added, with a grin.

 "It's a shame that you're here to work, and I'm busy with training and things, else we could have gone travelling together," Jeff said.

 "One day we'll do it," Lucy said.  "I'd like to go and see the Grand Canyon."

 "You know, that's somewhere I've never been," Jeff said.

 "That's our first destination, then," Lucy smiled.  Jeff smiled back.  By the time they pulled up at the farmhouse belonging to Jeff's parents, they had worked out a list of destinations around the world that they would like to go to together.

 "Well, this is it," Jeff said, gesturing to the house.  Lucy looked round and noticed that despite it being a wheat farm, there were a few animals around.  Jeff escorted her to the front door, and knocked.  Lucy began to feel a little nervous for the first time, wondering if Jeff's parents would accept her.  The door opened, and in the doorway stood a pleasant looking woman with sky blue eyes and red hair that was fading to a dull sandy colour.  

 "Mother, this is Lucy," Jeff said, introducing them.  Lucy smiled at Jeff's mother, her nerves settling a bit.  

 "Lucy!  It's so lovely to meet you at last.  Come in my dear, you must be hungry after such a long journey.  Jeff, you can go and put your bags upstairs so that they are out of the way.  Lucy can have the guest room, and you can have your old room," Jeff's mother said.

 "Yes, mother," Jeff replied, and disappeared upstairs.  Lucy found herself hustled along into the dining room where food was already on the table.  A lot of food.

 "Sit down and help yourself," Jeff's mother said, sweetly.  

 "Thank you," Lucy said.

 "Would you like a drink?  I have some homemade lemonade."

 "That would be lovely," Lucy replied.  Jeff's mother returned her smile and disappeared off to fetch it.  Lucy looked at the sandwiches, not really wanting to touch them until Jeff came back.  

 "I said we wouldn't need lunch," Jeff said, from behind her.  Lucy grinned at him as he sat down at the table, and began to help himself.  Lucy did the same.  Jeff's mother came back with a jug of lemonade and some glasses, and set it down in front of them.  She sat down opposite Lucy.

 "Your father should be along in a minute," she said to Jeff, then turned to Lucy.  "Grant's always late for meals.  He gets so caught up in his work he forgets the time."

 "My dad's a bit like that," Lucy replied.

 "Your father is an author, isn't he?" 

 "Yes.  He mostly writes detective stories," Lucy said.

 "Really?  Well, you must give me one or two of his books to read.  I like detective stories.  I have almost every Agatha Christie book."  At that moment, Jeff's father, Grant, entered the room and sat down at the table.  He looked at Jeff, then at Lucy.

 "And who's this?" he asked his son.

 "Lucy.  Lucy, this is my father," Jeff replied.

 "Hello," Lucy said, politely.  Grant nodded in acknowledgement.  Lucy felt rather scared of him.  He had piercing blue eyes that seemed to scrutinise her, and Lucy had the feeling that he wasn't to be angered.  She felt a bit happier when Grant struck up a conversation with Jeff, and Jeff's mother continued to talk to her.  Josie, as Lucy learnt she was called, was obviously very proud of her son, and despite her sweet country housewife appearance, she was a determined woman.  Lucy liked her, anyway.  Josie fussed around a lot, as did Lucy's own mother, but it was in a different kind of way.  After somehow managing to work through all of the food on offer, Jeff took Lucy for a look around the farm.

 "Wasn't it lonely being an only child miles from anywhere?" Lucy asked him, curious.

 "I stayed with an aunt during term time at school, so it was only something I had to deal with in the holidays.  But I can't really say it bothered me too much.  Dad usually kept me busy working on the farm," Jeff replied.

 "Lots of people would love to live in the middle of nowhere," Lucy said, dodging a cluster of chickens that seemed to think she had some food to give them.

 "It's got its advantages, but it's no fun if your snowed in or it's tornado season," Jeff said.

 "I forgot that you get tornados," Lucy said.  "Have you ever seen one?"

 "Plenty.  We've been lucky that none of them has hit our home," said Jeff.  They came to some stables.

 "Can you ride?" Jeff asked.

 "I had lessons as a child, but they were on ponies.  I've never sat on a horse that big," Lucy said, looking at them.  She reached up and stroked one on its nose.

 "Oh, you'll be fine.  There's a trail that leads down to a river.  We could take a picnic and go for a ride along there?"

 "If you're sure I could manage it…" Lucy began.

 "Of course you can.  You can ride Bridie.  She's a really calm horse," Jeff said, indicating the next stable where a bay horse had its head over the door, looking inquisitively at the young couple.  Jeff went and patted her, as did Lucy.  They left the horses and passed by lots of scary looking machinery.  Jeff explained to Lucy what each piece did.  By the time they had finished their walk, it was time to go in for dinner, which was another feast cooked up by Josie.  Soon it was time for bed.  Jeff showed Lucy her room, a simple but pretty room, with a view over the fields, although they couldn't see them at the moment, as it was dark.

 "If you're awake at dawn, you'll get a really good view of the sunrise," Jeff told her.

 "I think I'll be fast asleep," Lucy replied.  Jeff nuzzled her neck.

 "What if I wake you up?" he asked.

 "You do that and you'll be in trouble," Lucy warned, teasingly.

 "How much trouble?" 

 "Lots."

 "Really?"

 "Yes, really."

 "I don't believe you."

 "You just try it, Jeffrey, you just try."


	6. Ups and Downs

**Part Five**

"It's a long way down."

 "Just concentrate on what's ahead."  Jeff was helping Lucy to get used to riding a horse again.  Lucy was terrified at first, especially when Bridie started walking, but she steeled herself and found that she was getting used to it.

 "Okay now?" Jeff asked.

 "Yes, I think so.  Just so long as we don't go any faster than a trot," Lucy replied, watching Jeff get on his horse with remarkable ease.  They finally set off, walking through the farm and out into the fields beyond, passing Grant on the way.  He smiled at them as they went by, but did not say anything. They each had a saddlebag bulging with goodies that Josie had packed for them.  

 "All that fresh air will make you hungry," she had insisted, when Jeff protested that it was too much for the two of them.  Jeff knew better than to argue further with his mother, so reluctantly accepted the laden bags.  He turned his head to look back at Lucy.

 "How are you doing?" he called.

 "I'm fine," she replied.  They rode on in relative silence, enjoying the tranquillity of their surroundings.  It was a beautiful day, and time seemed to have no meaning.  Lucy looked behind her and saw that the farm had disappeared into the distance.

 "You're not kidnapping me, are you?" she asked.

 "Damn, how'd you guess?" Jeff answered, with a grin.  Lucy laughed.

 "How much further to the river?" she asked.

 "Not long.  Another mile or so," Jeff told her.  "Want to try going faster?"

 "Okay," Lucy said.  They got the horses to break into a trot, and it wasn't long before they arrived at the river.  It wasn't a huge river, but it was big enough to make a pleasant diversion from fields.  There was the odd tree here and there, and the land looked a little rougher.

 "If we go upstream for a little way, there's a place we can stop and have something to eat," Jeff said.  Lucy followed him, and soon they arrived at a place where the river ran shallow, and there was a sort of cove.

 "My parents used to bring me here when I was little, as I could play in the river without being in danger, because it's shallow," Jeff explained as he dismounted, and tied his horse to a nearby tree.  He came back to help Lucy get down.

 "It was just the local pool for me," Lucy said, watching Jeff tie Bridie to the same tree as his horse.  She scuffed at some pebbles with the toe of her shoe, then went closer to the edge of the water.

 "Does the land across the river belong to your father too?" she asked.

 "No, the river is the border between our farm and the next one," Jeff replied, coming to stand next to her.

 "Good neighbours?" Lucy asked.

 "Yeah, I suppose so," Jeff replied, a little hesitantly.

 "What?" Lucy asked him.  Jeff blushed slightly.

 "Their daughter is the same age as me, and we sort of dated a couple of times," he said.

 "Sort of?"

 "Well, our parents kind of pushed us into it really.  Nothing came of it though, we just weren't suited to each other," Jeff explained.

 "Which was good," Lucy smiled.

 "Yeah…she was kind of cute though," Jeff teased.  Lucy put her arms round his neck.

 "I'm not falling for that one," she grinned, reaching up for a kiss, which Jeff was happy to give.

 "Mmm…are you hungry?" Jeff asked.

 "I am," Lucy replied.

 "Let's go and see what my mom's packed for us," he said.  They made their way back to where they had left the horses and the bags.  After a rummage through various tubs, Jeff pulled out some snack items and divided them between himself and Lucy.  They quickly polished them off, then decided they were still hungry, so got some more food out and ate that too.

 "Guess your mother was right," Lucy said.

 "Somehow, she always is," Jeff replied.  Lucy stood up.  "Where are you going?" he asked her.

 "Nowhere," she said, smiling at him, and wandered back down to the edge of the river.  She just liked looking at the water running over the rocks and pebbles.  Lucy had never seen a river that looked so clear before.  She could see little fish swimming about.  She heard Jeff coming up behind her, and crouched down at the waters edge, looking intently at it.

 "What are you looking at?" Jeff asked.  Lucy said nothing, only peered closer.  Jeff crouched down beside her.  Lucy looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and suddenly swept her hand through the water, soaking Jeff, who protested loudly.  He tried to get her back, but she was too quick for him, and had dodged out of range.  She stood there laughing at him until he ran after her.  She made a half-hearted attempt to avoid Jeff catching her, and giggled madly when he picked her up.

 "I'll teach you," he grinned, carrying her back to the river.

 "No, don't!" Lucy squealed, clinging onto him as he lowered her towards the water.  At the last minute, Jeff put her down on the edge of the river.  She started towards him, but slipped on a stone and fell backwards into the river.  After a split second of alarm, Jeff realised that she was okay, and began laughing so hard that tears were running down his face.  Lucy stayed sat in the river, trying to look indignant, but failing.

 "Come and help me out," she said, between giggles.  Jeff went to give her his hand, but Lucy tackled him and caused him to end up sat beside her, equally drenched.

 "I think we're even?" Lucy grinned.

 "I think so," Jeff replied, splashing her.

A couple of hours later, two slightly damp and dishevelled young people arrived back at the farmhouse.  After grooming the horses and putting them back in their stables, they crept inside, only to come face to face with Josie.

 "What on Earth have you two been doing?" she asked.  "Go and get changed at once.  Dinner will be ready in half an hour."  With that, she bustled back into the kitchen, shaking her head.  She heard the muffled giggles from the stairs, and smiled to herself.  What it was to be young and in love.  She could tell from what she had seen of the interaction between Jeff and Lucy that they were completely besotted with each other.  Josie was pleased with her son's choice of girlfriend.  She found Lucy to be a pleasant and charming girl.  Yes, she seemed very well suited to Jeff.  It was still early days, but Josie had a very good feeling about this relationship.

Later that evening, Lucy and Jeff were in Lucy's room, discussing the day and things in general.  They were sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. 

 "It was your fault for splashing me," Jeff said.

 "It was a good thing no one else was around," Lucy replied.  "Else I'd have felt really stupid."

 "You just looked funny," Jeff smiled.

 "So did you," Lucy said.  Jeff squeezed her.

 "It was a fun day though," he said.

 "Yes, it was.  I haven't enjoyed a day out like that so much before," Lucy said, then shook her head.  "What am I saying?  I haven't had a day out like that before."

 "Next time you want to go swimming we'd better go to a proper pool or beach," said Jeff.  Lucy poked him in the ribs, and got no response.  Not even a flinch.  She groaned, and moved round to face Jeff, who simply smiled at her.

 "It's not fair.  You have got to be ticklish somewhere," she said.

 "No I don't," he replied.  "What's your obsession with where I'm ticklish?"

 "I'm not obsessed.  I'm just determined to find it," Lucy said, and waved a finger over his chest, suddenly jabbing at a random location.  Jeff shook his head, and prodded Lucy back.  She held in a squeal, knowing that Jeff's parents were in bed, and went for Jeff.  They play-wrestled each other, trying to keep the giggles down to a minimum.  Gradually though, the playfulness morphed into more serious caresses and fervent kisses until…

 "Your parents…" Lucy whispered.

 "They won't hear a thing," Jeff assured, placing a kiss on her lips.

They spent another day at the farm with Jeff's parents, before it was time to head back to Houston.  After the weekend, the holiday feel was definitely over – Jeff had to return to training at the space centre, and Lucy had to start her job.  She was going to work for a small local television network, a completely new experience for her in more ways than one.  

 "Nervous?" Jeff had asked her at breakfast.

 "Of course," Lucy replied.

 "You'll be fine," he told her.  For the first time since she had arrived in America, they had gone their separate ways for the day.  Lucy caught a bus into Houston, and made her way to the imposing looking building she had seen when Jeff had driven her back from the airport.  Despite the outside appearance, it was actually quite nice inside.  She had to ask for directions, but apart from that, she managed to find her workplace without too much trouble.  She approached the receptionist, a girl that looked barely older than herself.

 "Hello, I'm Lucille Evans – I'm here on a placement for the next few weeks," Lucy said.  The receptionist nodded.

 "Yeah, I was told you were coming today.  Follow me, I'll take you to meet Joel, the boss.  I'm Linzi, by the way," she said.  "So, you're from England, aren't you?"

 "Yes," Lucy replied.  "I come from Canterbury."

 "Is that near London?" Linzi asked.

 "It's a bit further south," Lucy said, knowing better than to try and pinpoint the exact location of her hometown.  She followed Linzi through a maze of desks, taking in the atmosphere.  Linzi stopped outside a door and knocked carefully before going in.

 "Joel, this is Lucille," she said, ushering Lucy inside the office before giving her a smile and departing the room.  

 "Take a seat," Joel said.  Lucy obliged, and looked at the man who was her new boss.  He was middle-aged, and looked like someone who enjoyed his wife's homemade pies a little too much.

 "So, is it to be Lucille or Lucy?" he asked, jovially.

 "Lucy, please," she replied.

 "I thought so," Joel smiled.  "Well, first things first, welcome to the channel."

 "Thank you," Lucy said.  "I've been looking forward to coming here."

 "That's great.  We've got a lot in store for you.  So, if we can start by running through what sort of things you did back in England, as a recap for me, then I'll tell you a bit more about us, and then it'll be time to introduce you to the folks you'll be working with," Joel said.  Lucy smiled back at him.  She had a good intuition for people and places, and her first impressions of Joel were good.  After a lengthy discussion, Joel led her out to a section of desks across the main room from his office.

 "Lucy, this is Tom Delaney.  He'll be who you'll work with most," Joel said.

 "Hi Lucy, pleased to meet you," Tom grinned.  Lucy took his hand and shook it.  Joel directed her to two other people.

 "And these two are Anna Friend and Wes Darwin," he said.  They smiled and nodded in unison.  Joel spoke to them.

 "Well, I'm sure you'll look after Lucy.  Show her the ropes, and get her into the way of life here," he said, and patted Lucy on the shoulder before disappearing back to his office.  Lucy was shown her desk, and sat down amongst her new colleagues.  They were quite welcoming, and Lucy forgot all about being the new girl.  She had feared that her background would make her stand out, but it didn't seem to be the case.  In fact, the four of them spent so much time talking about their lives, that they almost forgot all about work.  Lucy looked at her companions.  Anna was a pretty, charming person.  She was quiet, but not reserved.  Wes was a jokey sort of person with a seemingly endless supply of bad jokes.  Tom was probably the most intellectual of them all.  Lucy had a feeling that he was destined for better things than a little local television news channel.  The four of them went for lunch together.  It was then that Lucy remembered Jeff, and switched on her phone.  He had sent her a message, asking how things were going.  She tried to ring him, but his phone was switched off, so she sent him a message telling him that she was fine.

 "Anything interesting?" Tom asked her.

 "What?  Oh, I'm just sending a message to Jeff," Lucy said.

 "Boyfriend?"

 "Yes, he is.  I'm living with him whilst I'm here," Lucy replied, looking back at her phone, and missing the slight flicker of disappointment across Tom's face.

 "Guess it's quite serious then?" he asked.  Lucy paused.  She hadn't really thought about what sort of stage she and Jeff were at.

 "You could say that, yes," she said.  Wes interrupted with a different subject, and no more was asked about Jeff.  The rest of the day passed quite fast, and soon Lucy was saying her goodbyes and making her way home.  She felt quite elated as she let herself into the apartment and found that Jeff was already there.

 "When did you get back?" she asked, putting down her bag and giving him a kiss and a cuddle.

 "Not too long ago," Jeff replied.  "How was your day?"

 "It was great," Lucy enthused.  "Everyone was really nice.  I didn't actually do too much work today, but I think I'll be kept busy!"

 "Not too busy, I hope," Jeff smiled.

 "I could never be too busy for you," Lucy replied, giving him another kiss.

 "Glad to hear it."  Jeff kissed her back.

  Lucy learnt a lot in the first few weeks of her new job.  She felt as if she had been there forever.  She knew that she had made the right decision to come and stay over here, even if her mother still disagreed.  Her father had told Lucy that he thought she was absolutely right, and her mother really thought so too, but missed Lucy very much.  Lucy was now halfway through her stay, and she needed to think about what to do next.  She had a lot to think about.  Jeff would be going on his first outing into space in the August of the following year, and Lucy was determined to be there to see it.  She hoped that Joel would offer to extend her job, and therefore give her a legitimate reason to stay in America.  The other possibility that Lucy was considering was that Jeff came back with her for a couple of weeks.  He was supposed to come and stay with her before she went to America, but some last minute hitches mean that he couldn't make it.

 "After all," Lucy said, "I think that it'll put my mother's mind at rest if she can finally meet this strange man her daughter has run off with!"

 "Well, I'll see what I can do," replied Jeff, a little curtly.  Lucy looked at him and sighed.  She had learnt that Jeff had odd little huffs occasionally, and usually the best way of dealing with them was to leave him alone for a couple of hours.  She dropped the subject and turned back to an email she was writing to Karen.  She was in the middle of writing about a couple of stories she and Tom had been working on.  Lucy had made several friends at her place of work, but Tom was the closest of these.  And this was the reason for Jeff's blackened mood.  Lucy always chatted to him about work when she came home, but recently it all seemed to be, "Tom said this", "Tom did that", and although Lucy meant nothing by it, she had unwittingly stirred up one of Jeff's lesser traits – jealousy.  He knew that Lucy would never be unfaithful to him, and he was being silly, but he just couldn't help it.  He never had been able to tame the green-eyed monster since being a child.  He glanced over at her.  She had her back to him, tapping away on the keyboard.  He watched her tuck a strand of russet hair behind her ear.  She was everything to him, and the mere thought of her in another man's arms was enough to incense him.  He returned to studying a book on engineering.  His studies were almost over, and soon he and his colleagues would be preparing for a mission for real.  It was something to look forward to, despite all the hard work that would be needed.  Just to be able to look down on the Earth from space would be worth it.  

 "It's the Christmas party at work in a couple of weeks.  Do you want to come?"  Lucy interrupted his thoughts.

 "Why?  Are you going to go alone if I don't?" Jeff asked.

 "Well, I'll have to, won't I?  I don't want to miss out on it.  Everyone is going to be there, and we're all allowed to invite someone as a guest," Lucy told him.

 "Yeah, why not?" Jeff replied, returning to his book.

 "Don't sound so enthusiastic," Lucy said, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice.  Jeff shrugged.  Lucy was unable to bear Jeff's mood anymore.  She closed down what she was doing on the computer, and went to get her coat.

 "Where are you going?" Jeff asked.

 "Out," Lucy replied, brusquely.  She gave Jeff a look and left him to his book.

Jeff's bad mood returned at Lucy's Christmas get-together.  He was happy enough until Lucy spotted Tom, and called him over.  He was polite to Tom, for Lucy's sake, but one look in his eyes told Jeff that Tom had more than a platonic interest in his girlfriend.  That was bad enough, but when he saw how much Lucy seemed to enjoy Tom's company, Jeff couldn't take it.  He went over to Lucy when Tom had disappeared.

 "Lucy, I want to go," he said.  She looked at him, surprised.

 "Why?" she asked.

 "I just do," he replied.  "I want you to come with me."

 "I have my key, so if you want to go by yourself…" Lucy began, but Jeff interrupted.

 "I'm not going home by myself," he insisted, and took hold of her arm.  She pulled away from him.

 "Jeff!" she hissed, trying not to make a scene.  At that moment, Tom came back.

 "Everything alright?" he asked.  Lucy recovered herself.

 "Well, actually, we were just about to leave.  Jeff's not feeling very well," she said.

 "I'm sorry to hear that," Tom said.  He looked at Jeff.  "I can make sure Lucy gets a cab home if you like," he said.  Lucy didn't need to look at Jeff to know that he was seething about something, and answered before he could.

 "That's nice of you, Tom, but I'd better go with him," she said.

 "Okay, if you're sure," Tom replied, and gave Lucy a kiss on the cheek.  "Have a nice Christmas."

 "You too, Tom," Lucy smiled, and then she and Jeff left.  Once outside the building, and away from people, Lucy exploded.

 "Would you care to explain to me what that was all about?" she snapped.

 "It's nothing.  It doesn't matter," Jeff said.

 "Don't you give me that.  You've been moody on and off for the past fortnight."

 "No I haven't."

 "Yes you have.  You should have stayed at home if all you were going to do was to be rude to people, especially Tom," Lucy retorted.

 "Tom, Tom…is that all you care about?" Jeff snarled.  Lucy was taken aback.

 "Is this what it's all about?  You're jealous of Tom?  Honestly, Jeff.  That's ridiculous."

 "Is it?  All you talk about is him, and he was all over you like a rash tonight," Jeff snapped.

 "That's not true.  Tom is a friend, a good friend.  That is all.  Really, Jeff, what do you take me for?" asked Lucy.

 "He was looking at you in a way that's rather more than a friend," Jeff replied.  

 "You're being stupid," Lucy said.

 "I am not."  Their argument was attracting the stares of the few passers-by that there were, and Lucy was unwilling to argue any more in public.  She started to walk down the road.

 "Where are you going?" Jeff asked.

 "Home," Lucy replied.

 "You're not seriously walking home?" Jeff said, following her down the road.  Lucy turned to face him, a withering look on her face.

 "I'm not sharing a taxi home with you whilst you're being so irrational," she said, and continued walking.

 "You can't walk all the way from here.  You'll freeze!" Jeff yelled, but Lucy kept on walking.  As if he was attached to her by a leash, Jeff followed behind her.  Their argument over Tom flared up again, and spread to arguments over minor things that were completely stupid.  By the time they returned to their home some two hours later, they had ran out of argument, and were in more familiar territory of joking around and having a civilised conversation.  They got in and collapsed on the sofa.

 "Lucy, I'm sorry for acting like an idiot," Jeff said.

 "And I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," Lucy replied.  They smiled at each other, then kissed.  The tension that had been between them recently had vanished, which was just as well as it was Christmas a couple of days later.  They were just having a quiet Christmas between the two of them.  They sat in the living room, opening their presents.  Lucy's mother had sent her a parcel of gifts from herself, John and Lucy's brother, Peter.  Lucy had rang her mother when she had got up that morning to wish her a happy Christmas, and was pleased to find that her mother seemed more at ease with her being away.  Perhaps her father had talked her round.  Jeff presented Lucy with a big box.

 "Happy Christmas," he said.  Lucy undid all the wrapping paper, only to find another box inside.  She undid that, and found another one.

 "What's this, pass the parcel?" she grinned.

 "I know you like a good puzzle," Jeff replied.  Lucy opened yet another box to find it stuffed with tissue paper.  She took it out, and found a little box nestled inside, which was obviously her present.  She took out, and opened up.  Inside was a ring.  An expensive looking ring, set with diamonds and sapphires.  Lucy felt the colour drain out of her face, and looked at Jeff.

 "Jeff…" she began, but Jeff hushed her.

 "I know it's a bit out of the blue, but I've given it a lot of thought, and I know that you're the only person I want to be with for the rest of my life," he said quietly, his eyes holding her own.  He took her free hand.  

 "Lucy, will you marry me?"  Lucy was completely taken aback, and it took her some seconds to find her voice.  But there was only one answer she could give.

 "Yes."


	7. Pretty Good Year

Part Six

The year just seemed to keep getting better and better.  First of all, Joel told Lucy that he'd like to extend her job, if she'd like to stay, which of course she did.  Then Jeff and Lucy spent just over a week in England with Lucy's parents.  Caroline had been shocked to hear of her daughter's engagement over Christmas, and had some difficulty believing that Lucy would commit herself to someone she had been living with for such a short period of time.  She had actually hoped that Lucy and Jeff's relationship would fall apart when Lucy was over there, and Lucy would come home.  Instead, the opposite had happened, and Lucy looked to be taking up a permanent residence in the States.  The thoughts that Caroline had were not borne out of maliciousness, simply a wish for her family to stay close.  She was a simple woman, and ever since being small, had only dreamt of raising a nice family in nice surroundings.  In many ways, she envied the intelligence and spiritedness of Lucy, and sometimes wished that she had been brave enough to do something with her life when she was young.  Caroline had therefore been determined to find something to dislike about Jeff when he finally came to visit, but she found it to be impossible.  In those short ten days or so, Caroline came to accept that the feelings Lucy had for Jeff were genuine and not some silly little fantasy.  She came to accept Jeff too, and instead of denying that Lucy was seeing someone, she would often sing his praises to her friends at the community centre where she was a volunteer.

 "Such a lovely man," she would say.  "Very well mannered.  A proper gentleman.  And very handsome too."  All that was before she got to the bit about her future son-in-law being an astronaut who had been selected for the moon landings.  Yes, Caroline liked to have something to talk about.  At least things had been eased somewhat with Lucy, and Lucy returned to America with Jeff, feeling a lot happier with her mother.  The couple's attention turned to their wedding.  Jeff was adamant that they had to be married before his first mission, which gave them only six months or so to plan and organise things.  They had decided that they wanted to marry abroad for several reasons.  Firstly, it would mean that neither family would feel that the other was getting preference.  Secondly, time was going to be tight, and they couldn't have a long honeymoon.  If they were married abroad, then at least they would have some time away in a nice place.  The decision was also due to Lucy's dream of getting married on a beach.

 "I just really like the idea of getting married on a beach, somewhere sunny," she said.  Lucy's father had offered financial support for the wedding, so at least money wasn't too much of an issue.  Josie meanwhile, was so delighted at the news that the wedding was going to be held in St. Lucia that she forgot about Grant's dinner in the oven, and rushed out to find him.  Rushing about was all Jeff and Lucy felt they were doing, what with Lucy working, Jeff preparing for his mission, and the wedding on top of that.  July came around sooner than anyone seemed to expect, but all was calm on a beach in St. Lucia, where a wedding ceremony was almost over.

 "Do you, Lucille Natasha Morgan Evans take Jeffrey Grant Tracy to be your husband?"  Lucy cringed inside as her full name was read out for the second time.  Morgan had been her mother's maiden name, but people often mistook it for an actual name, as in the actress Morgan Fairchild.  She smiled at Jeff, and pushed the ring onto his finger.

 "I do," she said.  The vicar beamed at them both.

 "Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.  You may kiss your bride," he said.  Jeff obliged, to a round of applause from the guests, who were close family and friends.  Lucy turned to Karen, who was her bridesmaid, for her bouquet.

 "My mascara hasn't run, has it?" she asked Lucy, wiping away a tear.

 "No, you're fine," Lucy smiled at her.  She and Jeff then mingled with the guests, and posed for photographs, Jeff accidentally standing on Lucy's dress.

 "If you had damaged it, I'd have filed for divorce," she grinned.  Jeff shook his head, knowing that she had no such intention.

 "You look beautiful," he told her as he took her arm as they made their way to where the reception was being held.

 "Thank you," Lucy replied.  She had chosen a simple but pretty dress that accentuated her figure rather than swamped it.  Her hair was mostly tied up, except for two locks that framed her face perfectly.  Her mother had wept when she first saw her, and that was before the wedding had even taken place.  The rest of the day progressed along nicely, and Lucy was pleased that her mother was behaving herself.  In fact, she seemed to have taken to Josie quite well.  Karen was busy chatting up one of Jeff's cousins, and Peter was happily helping himself to the drinks.  Lucy and Jeff slipped away for a while so they could watch the sunset together.

 "Happy?"  Jeff asked.

 "Very much so," Lucy said.  "You?"

 "Best day of my life," he replied.

 "Until you go into space," Lucy grinned.  Jeff kissed her.

 "Space would have to be a very wonderful thing to beat being with you," he said.

 "Aww…Jeff," Lucy said, and leant her head on his shoulder.  They said nothing for a few minutes, watching the sun get lower and lower in the sky.

 "So, what's it like being Mrs Tracy?"  Jeff asked.  Lucy laughed.  She had been practising calling herself Lucille Tracy almost ever since they had got engaged in order to become accustomed to it.

 "Oh, I think I could get used to it," she smiled at him, before putting an arm round his waist.  They sat looking into each other's eyes, not needing to say anything else.  Today was the first day of the rest of their lives.

Jeff looked at Lucy as she sat down in front of him with a mug of tea.

 "You didn't seem to sleep very well last night," he said.  She shook her head.

 "No, I just couldn't get comfortable.  I think it was because it was warm last night."

 "Have something to eat."

 "I will in a bit.  I just need something to drink first," Lucy said.  She took a couple of sips of tea.  She felt lousy as she always did when she hadn't slept well.  Jeff went and brought her some cereal through.

 "Thanks," she said, and began eating it, the coldness of the milk pulling her head together.  She and Jeff had been married for just over three weeks.  Lucy had thought that things wouldn't be much different from before, but somehow they were.  She felt very grown up for her age, and this was perhaps starting to come through a little now the newlywed feelings were starting to wear off.  The sudden tightening of her stomach told Lucy that she was about to be sick, and she dashed to the bathroom, just in time to put her head over the toilet.

 "Are you okay, Luce?"  Jeff called.  Lucy emerged from the bathroom, feeling a little better, but not great.

 "I think that the fish we had for dinner last night didn't agree with me," she said, sitting back down.

 "You did say that you thought it wasn't quite right," Jeff agreed.  "Well, I hope that's all it is.  You can't be ill now."

 "I know," Lucy said.  Tomorrow was Jeff's launch day.  He and four other astronauts were going on a two-week mission, conducting experiments and basically getting some real experience of space.  Lucy was anxious, but not so anxious that she didn't want Jeff to go.  He had worked incredibly hard for the privilege, and to stop him from doing something that most people would give everything for would be extremely selfish, and selfish was something Lucy was not.  Today turned into tomorrow very quickly, and all too soon Lucy and Jeff were saying their goodbyes.  

"No trashing the place with wild parties whilst I'm away," Jeff said.

 "Oh, I will.  You can be sure of that," Lucy grinned.  "Anyway, make sure you take some nice pictures for us poor souls that will never have the experience of being blasted into space."

 "Of course I will," Jeff promised.  Someone stuck their head round the door to tell Jeff that it was time for him to go.  He put his arms round Lucy and kissed her.

 "I hope you'll feel better in a day or so," he said.  Lucy still seemed to be feeling the effects of the fish, although she hadn't actually been sick that morning.  Lucy looked up at him.  She felt unusually weepy, and wanted to burst into tears, but she managed to hold herself together.

 "I love you, Muffin," she said.  Muffin was her pet name for him, although she had no idea where it came from.  She had called him it one evening, and it had stuck.

 "I love you too, Luce," he replied.  They exchanged a final kiss before letting each other go.

 "Good luck," Lucy said, as he went to the door, and gave her a final smile before disappearing to elsewhere in the building.  Lucy took herself back to where the other wives and girlfriends were assembled.  She had met them all before, but found most of them to be a bit air headed.  The only one she got on very well with was Patty, the wife of the commander of Jeff's mission.  Patty had taken Lucy under her wing, and was a great source of comfort to her, having seen her own husband go into space several times.

 "Hi Lucy," Patty said, seeing her appear.  "They'll be taking us to the place where we can watch the launch soon."

 "Good," Lucy replied.

 "Are you okay?" Patty asked, seeing that Lucy didn't appear to be her usual bright self.

 "I've just got a bit of a stomach bug," Lucy explained.

 "I'm sorry to hear that," Patty said, sympathetically.  "That's the last thing you need."

 "I know, it's not helping with the nerves," Lucy said.  Patty laughed.

 "Everything will be fine.  He'll be back before you know it.  Anyway, I want to know all about your wedding."

 "I'll have to bring the photographs to show you," Lucy said, before launching into the details of how her wedding went.  At least her mind was distracted from the launch, albeit temporarily.  Josie had wanted to be there, but was unable to make it.  She watched the countdown, her heart beating fast.  She decided that Jeff was probably just as nervous as she was, which made her feel better.  The shuttle blasted off with a deafening roar.  Lucy was surprised at just how loud it was.  She watched as the shuttle disappeared into the sky, rapidly becoming just a glowing speck.

 "Well, that's it," Patty said.

 "I just hope he enjoys himself," Lucy said, taking a last glance at the sky.

It was a few days later.  Lucy should have been at work, but instead she was sat in a doctor's surgery.  She hadn't shaken off the stomach bug.  Actually, she had a nagging feeling that it wasn't a stomach bug at all, but she needed to have a doctor confirm this.  Eventually she got called into see the doctor, and explained everything to her.  After a short while, the doctor smiled at her.

 "Well, you guessed right," she said.  "You're pregnant."  

After a discussion with the doctor, Lucy made her way home, in a bit of a daze.  She made herself a hot drink and curled up on the sofa, contemplating her situation.  Having children was something that she had never really taken into consideration, as it seemed to be so far removed from her life.  Until now.  She and Jeff had joked about it, but never seriously sat down and discussed the subject.

 "I'm only twenty-four.  There's so much I still want to do with my life!" she said out loud.  And she had only been married for a month.  She would have liked a little more time to enjoy being married to Jeff before they were joined by anyone else.  She placed a hand on her abdomen.  The thought that there was a baby inside there was weird, and a little scary.  She wished that Jeff were home.  He'd probably be happy at the news, Lucy thought.  But when to tell him?  She was due to go and talk to him in a day or so, halfway though his mission.  No, Lucy decided.  It would be better, and nicer, to keep it as a surprise for when he came back.  If she told him before then, he'd only start worrying about her, and he didn't need to be distracted.  She sighed, then shook herself.

 "Oh, pull yourself together, Lucille.  It's not the end of the world," she said.  It was simply another twist in the tale of her life.  So she went along to the space centre to talk to Jeff a couple of days later, feeling a bit like a schoolgirl who had a bit of gossip to tell everyone, but couldn't.  Each of the astronauts took it in turns to have a private conversation with their relatives.  Soon it was Lucy's turn.  Jeff appeared on the television in front of her.  She was happy to see that he looked quite relaxed and well.

 "Hi," she said.

 "How's my gorgeous wife?" he asked, with a grin.

 "I'm fine, thank you," she replied, smiling back.

 "Got rid of that bug?"

 "Yes, I have.  I feel a lot better."

 "That's good.  Anything to tell me?"

 "Your mother hopes you're eating properly, and says that when you get back, she's preparing a proper meal for you to make up for eating rations," Lucy told him.

 "Why am I not surprised?" Jeff replied.

 "What's it like up there?" Lucy asked, changing the subject.

 "Quiet," Jeff said.  "Probably because I don't have you nagging at me."

 "Keep talking like that and you won't want to return," Lucy teased.  Jeff laughed.

 "It's pretty amazing.  It's just like everyone describes it, you know, the Earth looking very peaceful.  I've taken some pictures, anyway."

 "I'll look forward to seeing them," Lucy said.

 "Look what I've learnt to do," Jeff said, and did a couple of somersaults without stopping.

 "Show off," Lucy laughed.  "I'd like to see you do that when you get home."

 "I wish you could be here," Jeff said.

 "So do I," Lucy said.  "I miss you."

 "I'll be home soon," Jeff said.  Lucy nodded.  It was time to finish up.

 "I'll see you later then," she said, and blew him a kiss.

 "Look after yourself," Jeff said, returning the kiss.  Lucy wanted to laugh at the irony of his words.  Instead she said,

 "I will do.  I love you."

 "I love you too, sweetie.  Bye."

 "Bye."  Lucy waved at the television screen, before she left the room, and smiled to herself.  She'd be looking after herself very well indeed.

By the end of the following week, Lucy had come round to the fact that she was expecting a baby.  She was actually quite excited about it, although that was probably due to the fact that nobody apart from herself knew yet.  She wanted to tell Jeff about it before anyone else, but she was impatient for his return.  Because she had kept it to herself for what seemed like forever, she was dying to tell everyone.  At long last, she was reunited with Jeff.  He looked tired, but that didn't stop him from giving her a huge hug, even lifting her off the ground, much to her protests.

 "That feels better," he said.

 "Ready to go home?" Lucy asked.

 "Definitely," Jeff smiled at her.

 "Good.  I've got a surprise for you when we get there."

 "Really?  Sounds interesting," Jeff said, giving her a kiss, which Lucy returned.  Once they got home, Jeff phoned his parents to tell them all about the mission.   Lucy was glad to have him home again.  She was occupied at work during the day, but she had missed his company in the evenings.  Eventually he got off the phone to his mother, and stretched out on the sofa, resting his feet on Lucy's legs.

 "Slob," she said.  He stuck his tongue out at her.

 "Where's my surprise then?" he asked.

 "Oh, that," Lucy said, pretending to have forgotten.  "Well, what would you say to being a dad next April?"  Jeff did a double take, and sat up to look at her.

 "You're pregnant?" he said.  Lucy nodded.  "When did you find out?" he asked.

 "About a week ago, just before we had our chat," Lucy said.

 "You knew then and you didn't tell me?"

 "I didn't want you to worry.  It's been a long week, waiting to tell you," Lucy said.  Jeff seemed to be collecting his thoughts, but suddenly he broke into a grin and hugged Lucy.

 "I can't wait," he said.  "You'll be a wonderful mother."

 "Well, we'll wait and see on that," Lucy replied, hugging him back.  Jeff put his hand on her tummy.

 "When will it show?" he asked.

 "Not for another three or four months," Lucy said.

 "That long?" Jeff said.

 "It's not like television where you get an instant bump," Lucy grinned.  Jeff hugged her again, and gave her a kiss.  Lucy gave a happy little sigh.  She wouldn't have predicted that she'd be married and pregnant a year ago.  And despite her reservations, somehow she wouldn't change it for the world.


	8. Baby Makes Three

**Part Seven**

There was no room at the apartment for a baby, so Jeff and Lucy had to find a new place to live.  Their new home was another apartment in Houston, but it was larger, and had a lovely view.

 "Two of the most stressful things in life are being pregnant and moving house," Lucy said to Jeff.  "And I get both at the same time."  

 "Well, one out of two isn't bad," Jeff replied, unable to identify fully with his wife.  Despite this, the move was relatively painless, and they were settled before winter set in.  Jeff's 26th birthday had passed quietly.  They had gone to a restaurant for a nice meal.  It was just as much a treat for Lucy as for Jeff.  Despite Christmas and the New Year, she had been working a lot.  Jeff had scolded her for it.

 "You shouldn't be doing so much," he said.

 "There's been a couple of big stories recently," Lucy had replied.

 "Yes, but you shouldn't be putting yourself under stress."

 "Who said I'm stressed?  I've never felt better," Lucy said.  "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to drop everything and stay at home like a good little wife."  She looked at him in a way that meant he was to drop the subject, else she'd stop sounding good-natured about it.  Jeff knew better than to defy that look, and had simply let out a sigh.  The initial tranquillity of the new year had disappeared when Lucy's friend Karen came to stay for a few days.  She was over in the States for a few weeks to see relatives, and she and Lucy thought that it would be silly if they didn't see each other whilst she was over there, especially now they had room for a guest to stay.  Jeff liked Karen, but she was just a little too loud for his taste, and was glad that Lucy had plans to keep her occupied.  He was also glad that Lucy was having a few days off work.  He watched the two of them in the kitchen, fussing around with making a drink.  Karen was delighted that Lucy was expecting a baby.  When the two girls were younger, they used to joke that if one of them had children, the other would be an honorary aunt.  Therefore, Karen was most interested in the well being of her unborn "niece" or "nephew".

 "I think it's going to be a girl.  Don't you want to know what it is?" she asked.

 "Not at all," Lucy said.  "That reminds me, I had a scan just before you came.  I'll go and fetch the pictures."  She went into the living room, and searched through a pile of papers that needed sorting out, but neither herself or Jeff seemed to have got round to it yet.  Karen brought the drinks through, and sat opposite Jeff.  Lucy found what she was looking for, and sat next to Karen. 

 "That's amazing," Karen gasped, looking at the pictures from the scan.  "They're so clear!  Oh, look at this one.  She's sucking her thumb!"

 "He," Jeff corrected.

 "It," Lucy further corrected, smiling at Jeff.  Karen giggled.

 "I take it you want a boy, Jeff?"

 "I'm not bothered either way, but I reckon it's a boy," he replied, knowingly.

 "Are you sure you're not having this baby, Jeff?"  Lucy asked, not for the first time.  If they hadn't had company, Jeff would have got up and tickled her to death, but he settled for returning her smile.

 "Anxious father then?" Karen said.

 "Just a little bit…ooh! That was right in my stomach!" Lucy exclaimed, putting her hand over the spot where the baby had kicked.  Karen reached and put her hand on Lucy's bump, feeling the baby move about.  

 "Wow.  Ahh, you're making me feel broody," Karen said, in such a way that Jeff felt a small feeling of alarm.  Lucy caught the look in his eyes and wanted to laugh.  Karen often said odd little things with such emphasis that people thought that she really meant something by them.  She knew that Karen had no intention of having children at the moment, and even if she did, she wasn't seeing anyone at the moment.  But Karen couldn't help but feel a little wistful when she saw Jeff and Lucy together later in the evening, Jeff playfully hugging Lucy and putting his hands on her tummy.  Although Jeff was someone who liked to keep his feelings close to his chest, it was obvious that he was really looking forward to becoming a father.  Lucy still felt unsure about being a parent, but was taking things in her stride, as she always did.  How else would she cope with being the centre of everyone's attentions all of a sudden?  Sometimes Lucy felt like she was the first pregnant woman anyone had seen, what with being faced with a barrage of repeated questions and people wanting to touch her stomach to see if they could feel the baby moving.  Even though she was an even-tempered person, her patience sometimes wore thin, especially at work.  She managed to keep her feelings under control though, until she came home.

 "I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait until I'm on maternity leave," she said to Jeff.  "I know they all mean well, but I feel like a lab rat."

 "Well, you've not got long," Jeff said, typing away at a report on the computer.  Whilst he wasn't on missions, he was involved with a lot of testing and experimentation on new technology with NASA.  He saw Lucy only nod tiredly in response to him and smiled at her, sympathetically.

 "You're having a 'fat day', aren't you?" he said.  Lucy grinned at him.

 "Am I complaining that much?" she asked.  Jeff saved his work then came and sat next to her, giving her a cuddle.

 "You complain as much as you want to," he told her.

 "I'll remember that when you get in one of your moods," Lucy replied, snuggling up to him the best she could.

 "I don't have moods," Jeff said, pretending to be offended.  Lucy just smiled at him.  Despite her moans about her colleagues, she was touched when they gave her a nice send off a few weeks later.  They presented her with a huge bouquet of flowers.

 "Just a little something to say goodbye and good luck with," Wes said.  

 "Little?  They're almost as big as me!" Lucy said, wondering how on Earth she was going to manage to get them home.  "Thank you very much."

 "You've got to ring us when it's born," Anna said.

 "I will do," promised Lucy.  She turned to smile at Tom.

 "Don't stay away for too long," Tom said.

 "You won't notice," Lucy replied.  Tom gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

 "Don't be so sure," he said.  Lucy just smiled at him, then looked at all of them.

 "Goodbye then," she said.

 "Good luck!" they all yelled, as she left the office.  She smiled to herself.  They were a mad bunch.  She'd miss the buzz of working in the newsroom, both because she loved her job, and because she loved the people.  Still, at least she was going to be kept busy with the new arrival.  It was a step closer now.

March passed into April, and Lucy was restless.  The baby was four days overdue, and she was on tenterhooks because of it.  Every twinge, every kick made her wonder if it was time.  It was four o'clock in the morning, and she was wide-awake, much to her annoyance.  Jeff, on the other hand, was very much asleep, and snoring into his pillow.  She sighed, and got out of bed, deciding to make herself a hot drink.  Maybe that would help her relax.  She set out a mug, boiled the kettle and went to the fridge to get the milk.  A sudden pain and a strange sensation inside her made her freeze on the spot.  A second contraction brought her back into this world, and she went back to the bedroom.

 "Jeff," she said, gently shaking him by the shoulder.  "Jeff!"  He stirred and looked at her with bleary eyes.

 "What is it?" he asked.

 "The baby's coming," she said.

 "Are you sure?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

 "Yes, definitely," Lucy replied.  Jeff rubbed his eyes, and got out of bed.

 "Are you okay?" he asked.

 "Just get a move on," Lucy said, and winced as another contraction swept through her lower body.  Jeff took heed of her suggestion, dressing so fast that he put on odd socks.  Neither of them noticed, their main concern being the imminent arrival of the baby.  Soon they were at the hospital.

 "I knew I wasn't going to like this bit," Lucy said, trying to remain upbeat as she was examined by doctors to make sure everything was okay.  She soon gave up on that notion when a few hours later, she entered the final stage of labour, which despite the care she received, wasn't the most pleasant experience she'd ever had.  Jeff stayed by her side throughout, trying not to be in the way.  He'd heard horror stories from friends and workmates who had already been through this.  Actually, he wasn't finding things too bad, although it was hard for him to see Lucy in obvious discomfort.  Lucy on the other hand, was just starting to wish she were dead, or at least had had a caesarean.  But before she could dwell on those thoughts for long, it was all over.  

 "It's a little boy.  Congratulations," the midwife said, presenting Lucy with the baby.  Any reservations that Lucy had about being a mother disappeared when she set eyes upon her newborn son.

 "Jeff, he's so beautiful!" she exclaimed, almost as if she had been expecting something else.  She had always scorned people who turned into blubbering wrecks, but even so, she wiped away a couple of tears.

 "Then he takes after you already," Jeff said, putting an arm round her, and peering at the tiny baby boy.  He kissed Lucy affectionately on the cheek.  She smiled at him.

 "I didn't say I hated you once, did I?" she said.

 "No, but you did tell me to piss off," Jeff replied, with a grin.

 "Did I?  I don't remember that," Lucy said.

 "I wouldn't expect you to.  You were pretty much in your own world," Jeff said, touching the baby's hand.

 "True," Lucy said.  Already, the whole process seemed like a dream.  She gave the baby to Jeff to hold.

 "Well you were right about having a son," she said.

 "Yes, but what are we going to call him?" Jeff replied.  They had agreed on a first and second name for a boy, but couldn't agree on what order they should be in, and had decided to wait and see what suited the baby.  Lucy took only a split second to make her decision.

 "Scott Robert," she said.

 "Scott…yeah, that does suit him better," Jeff agreed.

 "Glad that's finally sorted out," Lucy smiled.  She took hold of the baby – Scott – again, and studied his face.

 "He's got your dad's eyes," she said, smiling at Scott as he stared up at her.

 "Do you think so?" Jeff asked.  Lucy nodded, suddenly feeling tired.  She glanced downwards for a second, and laughed.

 "You're wearing odd socks!" she said.  Jeff looked at his feet and blushed slightly.

 "I thought that the receptionist gave me a funny look," he replied and then shrugged it off by giving Lucy another kiss.  A nurse came over to check on the health of the baby and Lucy.  It was time for the new family to separate, for the time being.

 "Well, I suppose I'd better go and make some phone calls, give out the good news," Jeff said. 

 "If you're gone for hours, I'll know that you got my mother on the phone," Lucy smiled.

 "You have a good rest," Jeff told her. 

 "I will," Lucy smiled.  Jeff kissed her again, and smiled at Scott, who had fallen asleep, quite oblivious of his parents.  Lucy watched Jeff leave the room, noticing that he seemed to be strutting slightly.  She shook her head.  He'd probably want to show Scott off to the whole world when they got home.  She looked at the baby again before giving him to the nurse, and decided that she felt like doing exactly the same thing.

"He's not been too bad, I suppose.  Jeff's been really good with helping out."  Jeff's ears pricked up as he entered his home and heard Lucy's voice talking about him.  He saw her chatting on the phone.  She smiled and gave him a little wave when she saw him, at the same time continuing her conversation.

 "Yes, he adores him.  You'll have to come over again, Karen.  I've emailed you some more photos today, but I'm sure he's already grown."  Jeff hung up his coat, and went into Scott's room.  He was a month old now, and a healthy baby with a strong pair of lungs, as he and Lucy had found out to their cost.  Jeff looked into the cot, and saw that Scott was awake.

 "Hi, Sport," he said, and reached in to pick his little son up.  He walked around the room with him, looking for a toy and earwigging on Lucy's phone conversation.

 "It sounds really stupid," she was saying, "but I keep looking at Scott and wondering how I managed to produce such a gorgeous baby!"  She laughed.  Jeff smiled at Scott.  There wasn't any great mystery about that to him.  They had both been turned into doting parents since Scott's birth.  Jeff's own parents adored their grandson – Lucy had been amazed at the change in Grant when he first held Scott.  She'd never seen him smile so much, even at her and Jeff's wedding.  Lucy's own parents were supposed to be coming to stay with them soon.  It would be the first time Lucy would have seen them since she got married, and she had missed them.  They were anxious to see Scott, and Lucy couldn't wait to show him to them.  So far, she was enjoying motherhood, despite all the downsides like sleepless nights and dirty nappies…or should that be diapers?  She and Jeff had always fought good-naturedly over the differences in the English language that their respective birthplaces had.  But, she had become accustomed to her life now, and felt as if she were finally settling down after a whirlwind eighteen months or so.  She finished on the phone and smiled at Jeff and Scott who had come into the living room.

 "How's your day been?" she asked Jeff.

 "Hard work," Jeff replied.  "We were testing that new equipment again, and it still doesn't work properly."

 "Really?  Well, I hope it's fixed soon.  It's not long until you're going to have to use it," Lucy said.  Jeff was due to go into space again soon, again on a short mission.  She had the feeling that he was a bit more apprehensive about it than his first one, probably because he now had Scott to think about.  There also seemed to have been mishap after mishap in the preparation for this mission, and Jeff was hovering somewhere between frustration and despair at the moment with regards to his work.  She reached up and ruffled his dark hair.

 "It'll be alright in the end, Muffin," she told him, soothingly.  He smiled at her.

 "I know, I know.  I'll just be happier when this one is over," he replied.   He suddenly looked down at Scott with a grimace.

 "Do you want to do it or shall I?" he grinned at Lucy, holding Scott in front of him.  She took hold of the baby with a reproachful look.

 "What do I get in return?" she asked.

 "I'll think of something," Jeff replied, giving her a kiss.  Lucy batted him away, playfully.

 "You're definitely doing the next one," she told him, before disappearing with Scott.  Jeff grimaced again.  If there were one thing he could change about babies…still, in spite of that, he'd be quite happy to have more.  Neither he nor Lucy wanted Scott to be an only child.  But, that was for the future.  One was quite sufficient for now.


	9. 1999

Part Eight

The next couple of years passed by peacefully for the young family.  As 1998 drew into the summer months, they were making the final preparations for the move from Texas to Florida.  The final eighteen months of Jeff's training for the millennium moon landings were to take place at Cape Kennedy.  As soon as they mentioned the fact to their friends and family, the reaction was always the same:

 "Ooh!  I'll have to come and stay with you sometime!"

 "Maybe you should start a hotel business instead of an engineering one," Lucy said to Jeff, after they had yet another friend tell them how nice it was that they were moving to Florida.

 "No thanks," Jeff replied.  "But the house sure looks big enough."  As well as transferring to Cape Kennedy, Jeff was also moving to the World Space Agency, which was a coalition of the world's different space programmes.  The WSA would take charge of the final stages of the moon landings.  As a gesture of generosity to the astronauts and their families, the agency had found new homes for those that would have to relocate.  The house given to Jeff and Lucy had seemed huge to them when they had first gone to look at it.

 "But there's only the three of us!" Lucy had exclaimed.  "Do they think we've got five kids or something?"

 "It's because we're used to an apartment," Jeff said.  "At least Scott's got somewhere to play outside now."

 "True," Lucy said.  Scott was now a boisterous two year old, who was into everything.  Ever since he had learnt to walk, he was off exploring things, and had caused his parents a couple of panic attacks when he had slipped from their watchful gaze and disappeared, only to be found a few minutes later happily playing in a puddle or trying to climb something.  He was a gorgeous looking toddler, with a mop of dark curls and brilliant blue eyes.  Old ladies adored him, and Lucy became used to standing patiently in the supermarket whilst they cooed over her son.  He was fast learning how to talk, too.  And fast growing out of his clothes.  Lucy could have sworn that she only purchased things a couple of months previously.  She watched Scott playing some game with Jeff.  He was going to be tall when he was grown up.  She laughed as Scott grabbed hold of Jeff's leg and squealed as his father dragged him along.  But, it was getting late, so Lucy moved to unwrap her son from her husband.

 "Sorry to break things up boys, but it's time for Scotty to go to bed," she said, managing to lift Scott up.

 "No mummy!" he yelled, changing from smiles to the threat of a tantrum in an instant.  Lucy sighed.  They had found that the term "terrible twos" was very much a reality.  Scott was an angel when he was good, but when he wasn't, all hell seemed to break loose.

 "He's exactly like Jeff was at that age," Josie had commented, completely unfazed by her grandson's temper tantrum when they had last visited the farm in Kansas.  Jeff had blushed scarlet, and mumbled something about not remembering ever being that bad as a child.  Still, they had become quite good at dealing with them.  Jeff took Scott from Lucy, and tucked him under his arm.

 "I'll put him to bed," he said, and disappeared with the protesting toddler.  Lucy proceeded to tidy up Scott's toys.  She was sure that they multiplied all by themselves.  The job done, she sank down onto the sofa and curled up, finally able to take a moment to relax.  A little while later, Jeff emerged from Scott's room.

 "He didn't sound too bad," Lucy said.

 "No, he wasn't.  Went to sleep almost straight away," Jeff replied, coming over.  He squeezed her hand as he passed.  "I'll get that bottle of wine out."

 "Good idea," Lucy replied.  Today was actually their third wedding anniversary, but they had been so busy recently with one thing or another, that they had forgotten to arrange anything for themselves.  Jeff came and sat beside Lucy, and poured a glass each for both of them.  Lucy smiled at Jeff.

 "To us," she said, raising her glass.

 "To us," Jeff replied.  They clinked the glasses together, and each took a sip.  

 "Three years," Lucy said.  "It's gone by so fast."

 "We'll do something really special next year," Jeff promised.  Lucy drank some more wine.

 "Maybe we could get your parents to look after Scott and we could go away somewhere," she suggested.

 "Yeah, maybe we could finally get around to visiting some of the places on our wish list," Jeff replied, smiling at her.

 "Well, it's something to consider," Lucy smiled back.  Jeff put his arm round her.

 "I know I'm going to be really busy in the next year, with all the training and starting up the business if the agency agrees to it, but I promise not to forget about you and Scott," he said.

 "I'm not going to let you forget me," Lucy answered, sticking out her tongue at him.  Jeff returned the gesture.

 "Looking forward to your last week in your job?" he asked.  

 "No," she replied, looking sad.  "I wish I didn't have to leave them."  Lucy was having to say goodbye to the small news channel she had been working for since she came to live in America.  She'd had to turn down a promotion because of the move to Florida, but Joel had written such a glowing reference for her that she had got an equivalent job over there.  She was looking forward to the new challenge, but she seriously doubted that she could love her new job as much as her current one.  She had made so many friends whilst living in Houston, and now she had to go away and start all over again.

 "I bet they wish that you didn't have to leave," Jeff said.  "Some of them, anyway."  Lucy gave him a look.  She knew exactly who he was referring to.  Jeff had never completely got rid of the chip he had on his shoulder over her friendship with Tom, although he held in any jealous outbursts nowadays.  Jeff decided that it was best to change the subject.

 "Bet you're looking forward to being close to the beach," he said.  Lucy smiled.

 "Of course I am," she said.  "You?"

 "Oh, definitely," Jeff grinned, then sighed.  "Just think, this time three years ago we were on a beach."

 "I haven't forgotten," Lucy smiled.  She put her near-empty glass on a nearby table, and stroked the side of Jeff's face before kissing him.  The spark between them was still as bright as it had always been.  She snuggled up to him.  

 "You're still huggable," she said.  Jeff squeezed her.

 "So are you," he replied, and filled her glass up again.  She looked at him.  He smiled at her.

 "What?  It's Sunday tomorrow.  Besides, when are we going to drink the rest of it if we save it?" he said.  Lucy didn't have an answer to that, so she accepted what he said with an amused shake of her head.  They continued to chat away, until it was time for them to go to bed.  Without warning, Jeff grabbed Lucy and put her over his shoulder.  She tried to avoid laughing too much in case she woke Scott up.

 "Put me down!" she said, weakly.  

 "I will in a second," her replied, carrying her through to their room as if she were a feather and placing her on the bed.  She smiled at him as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

 "So when are we going to have this other baby?" he asked, casually.  Lucy stared back up at him, surprised.  She hadn't expected him to come out with that.

 "Not at the moment," she replied.

 "You've been saying that for ages," Jeff said, giving her another kiss.

 "It's not the right time," Lucy said.

 "You'd have said that if I had suggested it when we got married, but everything's worked out with Scott," Jeff said.

 "I'm about to start a new job," Lucy replied.  "I don't want to go on maternity leave as soon as I've arrived there."

 "Is that all that matters to you?" Jeff asked.

 "Of course not," Lucy replied, looking into his eyes.  "You know it's not."  She paused, then smiled at him, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. 

 "Let's get ourselves sorted out in Florida first, then we'll see," she said.  Jeff smiled back at her.

 "I'll hold you to that," he teased.

The ringing of the phone took Lucy by surprise.  She looked at Scott, who was playing with a toy truck.

 "Who's calling at this time of the morning?" she said to him, thinking out loud.  Scott looked questioningly back at her, before turning back to his game.  Lucy got off the floor and went to answer the phone.

 "Hello?"

 "Good morning.  Am I talking to Mrs Lucille Tracy?"

 "Yes," Lucy replied, puzzled as to what this was about.  The man on the other end of the phone didn't sound like a salesman.

 "Mrs Tracy, my name is Bob McCoy.  I work for the World Space Agency and I have some news for you regarding your husband Jeff," he said.

 "Why, what's happened?  Has he had an accident?" Lucy asked, feeling her stomach churn.  Jeff was away at the moment, on an intensive training course.

 "Sort of.  As you know, Jeff is being trained in the use of equipment for the moon landing.  As part of all the astronauts training, we have to test their survival skills in case of the worst-case scenario.  For this, we have purposely created situations where all the astronauts have been stranded in areas that will test them," Bob said.

 "You mean you've created an 'accident' where they've had to bail out?" Lucy asked.

 "Yes.  In Jeff's case, we've had him crash land on an island in the Pacific Ocean," Bob replied, unperturbed.  Lucy felt less calm.

 "You could have killed him!" she exclaimed.

 "I assure you that every precaution was taken to ensure that he would survive the initial stage of this operation," Bob told her.

 "What happens now?" Lucy asked.

 "Well, the plan is to leave the astronauts for about ten weeks, then pick them up and return them to Cape Kennedy for debriefing," he said.

 "Ten weeks?" Lucy said, her heart jumping.  Her hand went instinctively to her abdomen.  

 "That's right, ma'am.  We will be monitoring all the astronauts and if they are in trouble, we will get them out before the ten weeks are up."

 "Jeff would never have agreed to this," Lucy said, angrily.

 "Possibly not, which is why this operation has been kept secret from all the astronauts and their families until now," Bob told her.

 "But I'm expecting a baby!" Lucy said, feeling bewildered.

 "I understand your feelings on that, ma'am, but please try to realise that this forms an important part of the astronaut's training.  Everything is being done to ensure that they will return home safe and well when their time is up."

 "I want to speak to the person in charge," Lucy said.

 "I am the person in charge," Bob replied.  Lucy could tell from the tone of his voice that she wasn't going to be able to argue with him.

 "We will let you know on his welfare, and when he will be returning," Bob told her.

 "Thank you," Lucy said.

 "One more thing, Mrs Tracy.  I understand that you are a journalist?"

 "I am, yes."

 "I would appreciate it if you refrained from making public the details of this exercise for the time being.  We need to keep things secure."

 "Fine, I will do," Lucy said, knowing from Jeff how much security mattered on these sorts of things.

 "Well, that's all for now, ma'am," Bob said.  "Unless you have any more questions?"

 "No," Lucy replied.

 "Goodbye then," Bob said.

 "Bye," Lucy said, and put down the phone.  She stood there for a few minutes, not really knowing how to get her head around the fact that Jeff wasn't going to be coming home for ten weeks.  It seemed to be an eternity.  What made it worse was that their second child was due in ten weeks.  It was going to be touch and go as to whether Jeff was going to be back in time for the birth.  She thought of Jeff, and hoped that he was okay, as Bob McCoy had promised he was.  She tried to reassure herself.  If the WSA had planned this, then they must have selected the island as a suitable place, which meant that there was some sort of food and fresh water available and materials to build a shelter with.  Jeff wasn't stupid, and he was extremely fit due to being in the air force then NASA.  She looked over to where Scott was, and her heart sank again.  How on Earth was she going to explain Jeff's absence to him?  

Thousands of miles away in the south Pacific, Jeff was exploring the island that he found himself stranded on.  He'd seen and done many frightening things in his life, but when the fault developed on the plane he was testing and all he could see was miles of ocean, his life had flashed before his eyes.  Fortunately, he'd found this little island and had managed to land the plane, although not without damaging it.  There was no real flat surface on the island.  From looking at the rocks, it looked as if the island was once a volcano.  He wasn't hurt himself, save for being a little shaken and bruised.  He'd tried radioing for help, but there was no response.  So he had decided he should take a look around and see what sort of resources there were.  It could very well be a day or two, or maybe even longer before help arrived.  A search of the immediate area revealed a couple of small caves and a spring.  At least he had fresh water.  He looked at the palm trees and saw that there were coconuts on them.  He wrinkled his nose.  He wasn't a big fan of coconuts, but if that was all there was to eat, then fine.  Hopefully the sea was rich in fish.  He made his way down to one of the many beaches that the island seemed to have, and discovered rock pools with a diversity of creatures in.  He looked out across the sea, trying to see if there were any planes or ships nearby.  Nothing.  He sighed, and then realised how alone he was.  There probably wasn't another person for hundreds of miles.  The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, so he made his way back to the remains of his plane.  He needed to make a fire and a shelter before it got dark.

A month or so passed.  Jeff would have completely lost track of time if he hadn't have marked each day on a rock, akin to a prisoner marking time in a cell.  He was sat on a rocky outcrop, looking over the sea.  This was ridiculous.  Surely they must have pinpointed where he had crash-landed by now.  The island was a little paradise, unspoilt by people, but right now Jeff was finding it hell.  His initial optimism had been disappearing recently.  He couldn't fix the radio, and he was getting tired of eating fish, coconuts and berries.  He played with his wedding ring.  Today was his and Lucy's anniversary.  Last year he had promised that they'd do something special together to make up for not celebrating properly.  This year he wasn't even with her.  He let out a shuddering sigh.  He missed Lucy so much – her beauty, her sense of humour, her touch.  He thought back to the early days of their relationship when they went months without seeing each other.  He couldn't bear the thought of going through that again.  He wondered how she was coping by herself, juggling work and looking after Scott.  The new baby would be due soon.  Scott had been really excited about having a little brother or sister to play with.  Jeff missed his little boy too.  He had become so used to having Scott follow him around at home that he kept half expecting to see him appear from somewhere.  Jeff looked to the horizon, and strengthened his resolve.  He would see his family again.  He was twenty-nine years old and far too young to die on a little atoll in the middle of nowhere.  He had the moon to go to.  He would go home.

Lucy paced up and down the room, impatient.  This was taking far too long.

 "Why don't you sit down?" Josie was sure Lucy was going to wear the floor out.

 "No, I'm alright," Lucy replied.  They were waiting to be reunited with Jeff.  Josie had come over to stay with Lucy in case Jeff wasn't back in time for the birth of the baby.  Things were being a little too finely cut for Lucy's liking, and she was fervently praying that the baby would stay put for a little while longer.  At long last, the door opened, and in walked Jeff.

 "Here's Robinson Crusoe," he grinned at them, opening up his arms for Lucy.  They held each other tightly for ages before letting go.  Jeff surveyed Lucy.

 "Haven't you grown?" he said to her, touching the bulge that was her tummy.  Lucy smiled back at him.  

 "I've been having to cross my legs," she said.  Jeff laughed, and went to kiss her, but she backed away.

 "There's no way I'm kissing you with that beard," she said, grinning at him.

 "Charming," Jeff replied.  He turned to his mother, who was waiting patiently and gave her a hug.

 "Hello mother," he said.

 "Look at you," she said.  "I'll have to cook you a proper meal when we get home."

 "Yes please," Jeff replied.  "Just so long as it isn't fish or coconuts."  His mother patted him on the arm.

 "You can tell us all about it when we get home," she said.

 "Where's Scott?" Jeff asked.

 "He's with Cookie," Lucy said.  Cookie was their next-door neighbour.  Scott often played with her children.

 "How's he been?" Jeff asked.

 "Not too bad.  He's kept asking where you are, but he's coped with things quite well," Lucy said.  "Come on, let's go home."  Jeff put his arm around her shoulders.

 "That's music to my ears," he said.

 "You can't call a baby Virgil!"

 "If people still want to call their little boys Wilfred and Arthur these days, then I can call my baby whatever I like."

 "Yes darling, but _Virgil_?"

 "I think it's cute.  So does Jeff."  Lucy was on the phone to her mother, talking about the new arrival.  He was born two days after Jeff came home, and was an adorable little baby, who looked quite a bit like his mother, with a good cheekbone structure and a sprinkling of russet hair.  They had just come home from the hospital, and the day old baby was sleeping peacefully in his cot whilst his mother and grandmother discussed his name.

 "Well, it is up to you," Caroline said, doubtfully.

 "We wanted something a little unusual," Lucy said.  "It suits him, mum.  You'll see when we send you some photographs."

 "How's Scott taken to him?" Caroline asked.

 "He loves him to bits," Lucy said.  "Here, I'll let him tell you."  She looked up and beckoned to Scott.

 "Scott!  Come and tell your gran about your brother," she called.  Scott rushed over and grabbed the phone from his mother.

 "Hello Gran!" he said.  Lucy watched as he talked to her mother about his little brother.  It had become his favourite subject overnight, and he was happy to tell anyone all about "Virgie".  He hadn't quite got the hang of "Virgil" yet.  Jeff came into the room.  He was looking better after his ordeal.  Just having a shave and a haircut was a vast improvement.  He had been furious with the officials at the WSA when he first discovered that the whole thing had been planned in advance, and almost felt like walking out on the whole millennium mission then and there.  After he had calmed down, he realised that it had been a necessary thing, but he still wished that his family hadn't had to be put under the stress that they had.  Still, Scott seemed none the worse for having his father absent for over two months, and Jeff hadn't missed the birth of his second child.  He glanced at a calendar hanging on the wall.  It wasn't long now until the moon landing now.

It was a couple of days before the millennium, and the media frenzy over the moon landing was at its peak.  It was launch day.  Jeff and the other four astronauts seemed to be endlessly giving interviews and being photographed. Because of Lucy's experience as a journalist, she was able to help Jeff deal with a lot of the media attention.   Jeff and his fellow astronaut, an Australian called Kurt Fitzgerald, seemed to have a sudden following of women of all ages, from young girls to middle aged housewives.

 "You love it really," Lucy had teased Jeff when he claimed to be embarrassed by the attention.  Lucy herself found it all rather amusing, although there was the odd occasion when she had glared at someone who had crossed the line.  Right now, Lucy was waiting with Scott, Josie and Grant for the launch of the huge yellow rocket that would take Jeff, Kurt and the other astronauts to the moon.  Virgil had been left with Cookie, his parents feeling that the atmosphere at Cape Kennedy would be too much for the baby.  Besides, he was hardly likely to remember being there when he was older.  Finally, the countdown began and the rocket took off with a huge roar.  Lucy had put cotton wool in Scott's ears, but even so, she put her hands over his ears to further block out the noise.  She laughed at the expression on his face.  She'd never seen his blue eyes so wide.  She picked him up.

 "Wave goodbye to daddy," she said.  Scott looked upwards towards where the rocket was fast disappearing and waved.

 "Did you like that, Scotty?" Grant asked.  

 "Yeah!" Scott grinned.  "It was really loud."

 "Yes, it was," Grant smiled at him.  The landing on the moon was supposed to coincide with when the sun rose over the international dateline, but there were a few small problems on board the capsule, which meant that it was a little late.  It still made it for New Year's Day for the majority of the world.  Lucy held her breath along with millions of people around the world as the capsule descended onto the lunar surface.  This was the moment that Jeff had spent six years training for.  One small mistake and it would all go to waste.  Finally, the capsule touched down safely, and the astronauts came out onto the surface.

 "Which one's daddy?" Scott asked.  Lucy couldn't tell, but the commentator on the television helped her out.

 "That's him," Lucy said, pointing out one of the small figures.  The whole thing seemed surreal to her, and she had to keep reminding herself that she wasn't dreaming.  Jeff really was on the moon, and would be for another two days.  He'd actually celebrate his thirtieth birthday there.  

 "It's some birthday present," he had said in a typically understated way, just before he had left to get ready for the launch.  She watched as the astronauts talked to the WSA command and to each other, planting a special flag to commemorate the occasion.  They then proceeded to explore the territory they were in, bouncing along in the bizarre way that astronauts were forced to do in the lesser gravity of the moon.  Scott laughed, finding the jerky movements of his father and the others funny to watch.  Lucy gave him a cuddle, wondering what it was actually like up there.

On the moon, Jeff had come to realise how silence could be deafening.  If none of them made any noise, the absolute stillness of the moon seemed to block his ears.  The moon seemed to be so majestic, yet so dead.  Even a desert on Earth had more life in it.  The five astronauts went about their tasks of collecting rocks and taking measurements.  They were not far away from the site where Neil Armstrong had first stepped onto the moon, and took a buggy to go and look at the site.  Jeff felt awestruck, looking at the remains of the historical site, and seeing the footprints that had been left behind, pretty much undisturbed.  The most amazing sight had to be seeing the Earth rising above the horizon of the lunar surface.  Jeff had seen the Earth from orbit several times now, but this was different.  

 "It seems really vulnerable, doesn't it?" Kurt said.

 "Yes, it does," Jeff replied.  He held out his hand so that it was flat, and raised it until it looked as if the planet was balanced on his palm.  Billions of people, thousands of miles of ocean, rainforests and polar icecaps all there in his hand.  The thought sent a tingle through him.  

 "If only everyone could step back from the world like this," he said.  The others agreed, each touched by what they saw.  Simply standing there and looking at Earth from a few million miles away had changed their perception of their planet.  It changed their lives.


	10. Tragedies

**Part Nine**

What could top going to the moon?  At the current time, it was still the pinnacle of manned space flight, the ultimate achievement for the human race.  NASA and the World Space Agency were both hopeful that the success of the millennium mission, both scientifically and with the general public, would be the catalyst for governments to invest in space exploration again.  Both agencies were confident of establishing the first moon base within fifteen years, the first manned mission to Mars within thirty.  But for now, they would have to be content with sending people into orbit.  There probably wouldn't be another mission to the moon for about two years, and even then, there would still be a lot to learn before any more progress could be made with man's push into space.  Jeff wasn't going to be amongst those people who went beyond the moon though.  He had achieved his ambition with the millennium moon landings, and whilst going into space would be something that he would never tire of, at the same time he wanted to do something else with his life.  Besides this, he had a wife and two small boys to think about.  Neither they nor Jeff could cope with him being dumped on a deserted island every time the WSA were planning a big mission to the moon or other places.  No, he had proved himself with the moon landing.  It was time to look for new challenges, which took the form of the business he had looked to start up towards the end of 1998.  He had got all the basics in place, but it had all been put on hold with his ten week surprise survival course the following summer.  On his return, matters had been too intense for him to pick the business strings back up, so he had waited until after the moon landings before resuming his entrepreneurial ideas.  He had decided to start up a construction business based around aerospace engineering.  It suited both his interest in engineering and his expertise in space related technology.  He would have liked to have ran it in conjunction with the WSA, but his decision to resign as an astronaut had caused some tensions with one or two senior figures, so instead he resigned fully and looked to some old contacts at NASA as an alternative.  They were only too happy to help him out, and his business finally got off the ground in the autumn of 2000.  The family moved again, too, this time northwards, settling in a nice suburb of Boston.  Although Jeff's business primarily dealt with supplying NASA with parts, it was easier to run things and build up contacts with the sprawling business world of the Eastern seaboard.  The first winter there was a lot of fun – little Virgil, now almost eighteen months old, had never seen snow before, and spent some time eying the cold, powdery stuff suspiciously before deciding that it must be okay if Scott was playing in it.  He was a more serious baby than Scott had been, yet was also fairly easygoing and had the loveliest smile when it was coaxed out of him.  Actually, it didn't matter whether he smiled or scowled, the end result was the same – he just looked cute.  Scott seemed to have thrown himself into the elder brother role fully, looking after and bossing around his younger sibling in equal measure.  Things seemed to be going well for the family, and when they paid a visit to Jeff's parents in the spring, Grant and Josie were pleased to hear of their son's progress with his fledgling business.  They were happy to take the time to dote on their grandsons, too.  Scott loved being on the farm, and was delighted when Grant took him on the tractor and other machines.  Josie was quite happy to make sure that Virgil didn't feel left out.  With both their sons being looked after, Jeff and Lucy took the opportunity to have a day to themselves and paid a visit to a town a few miles away where a cousin of Jeff's lived.  The weather had been perfect when they had left early that morning, but by the time they were making their way home in the late afternoon, the skies had darkened and were looking ominous.

 "Looks like it's going to throw it down," Lucy said.  

 "I think it might be about to do more than that," Jeff replied, not liking the look of the low, angry clouds above.  In the distance there was a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightening.  A moment later, the heavens opened and a torrent of rain came down.  The wipers on the car were practically useless against it.  Fortunately, the road they were travelling on was fairly empty.  Lucy suddenly let out a gasp.

 "Jeff, look!" 

Jeff looked to where she pointed, and saw a tornado over the fields to their right.  It looked reasonably far away, but Jeff knew that they moved across the plains quickly.  He wouldn't have been too bothered about a twister normally, but this one was of a moderate size, and was heading in their direction.  Despite the poor conditions, he put his foot down on the accelerator.  Lucy looked at him, anxiously.

 "Don't worry, there's a bridge along here somewhere where the highways cross," he assured.

 "How's a bridge going to help?" Lucy asked, glancing back at the tornado, which was seemingly getting nearer by the second.

 "We can shelter under the supports," Jeff said.  "It's a tried and tested method," he added, seeing her sceptical look.

 "How much further?" she asked.

 "We're nearly there.  I can see it," Jeff told her.  He seemed impossibly calm to Lucy, who was doing all she could to stop her heart going into overdrive.  She could hear the noise of the tornado above the car engine, a horrible shrieking sort of roar.  With not much time to spare, Jeff stopped the car under the bridge.  There were two other cars there already, which had been going in the opposite direction to them.  The frightened occupants were already sheltering up in the struts of the bridge.  There was a couple with a small girl who was crying her eyes out, and a man who upon seeing Jeff and Lucy arrive, helped Lucy up the steep slope to the space where they were sheltering.  Jeff held onto Lucy protectively as the tornado hit the bridge.  The noise was horrendous, and it got to Lucy more than anything else.  She could hear the grating of concrete as the tornado tried to lift the bridge up, but thankfully the bridge held firm.  She looked towards where the little girl was screaming into the arms of her mother, and thought of her own children back at the farm.  Hopefully they would be fine.  The tornado wasn't going in that direction.  After what seemed to be an eternity, but in reality was only a minute or so, the tornado passed and headed onwards across open country again.  At first there seemed to be a deafening silence, but then Lucy heard the sound of rain still cascading down.

 "Are you okay?" Jeff asked her.  She saw that he looked a little pale despite still sounding calm, and managed a smile.

 "About the same as you, I think," she said.  He grinned back at her before turning to the other people with them and asking if they were all okay.  They were all shaken, but apart from that they were none the worse for wear.  Lucy and Jeff were soon in their car and on their way again.  They arrived back at the farm and were greeted by an anxious Josie.

 "I heard that there was a twister?" she said.  "It sure looked stormy out there, anyway.  The lights have been going on and off."

 "Yes, it got a little too close for comfort," Jeff replied, and proceeded to tell his mother about their escapade.  Lucy sat down in an armchair and was greeted by a slightly grizzly Virgil who upon climbing into her lap, curled up and fell asleep.  Josie shook her head in amazement at Jeff's story, and looked at Lucy.

 "Dear me, you'll need a big mug of cocoa after that.  You don't need that sort of thing to happen to you at the moment," she said.

 "She's said for ages that she'd like to see a twister for real," Jeff interjected.  Lucy stroked Virgil's hair, and laughed.

 "I think I'll stick to watching the Discovery Channel," she said.  Josie shook her head again and disappeared to make everyone a drink.  She looked back at her son and daughter-in-law, and thought of the two dishevelled people who had came back from the river that day seven years ago, or the two giggly people who had gone out into the fields to look at a meteor shower and had got lost trying to find their way back in the dark.  Those two just couldn't go anywhere together by themselves around here without something happening to them.

It was a few weeks later, and summer looked to have finally arrived.  They had been in Boston for about a year now, and had settled in nicely.  Lucy had been to visit Boston on her trip with her father all those years ago, and had liked the place, but never dreamed that she would end up living there.  In a way, being on the east coast felt as if she had come full circle.  She was also within a reasonable distance of an old friend – Tom had since become a presenter on a major news network.  He had come far, as she had long thought he would.  Lucy had progressed nicely in her own career too, and she was preparing to make the switch back to newspapers, this time as a freelancer.  She had decided to give up having a full time career and spend more time being around the children.  Jeff's business was doing fine, and they had always been careful with their savings so they were fortunate enough to be able to rely on only one main income.  They also had a third child on the way.  Lucy had surprised herself by realising that she wanted another baby, especially since it had been only a couple of months after she had had Virgil, although they had waited for a while longer before trying for this one.  She had freely admitted that she was hoping that this one would be a girl, but she wouldn't be upset if it were to be another boy.  So long as it was a healthy baby, it didn't matter what it was.  The family had just spent a nice afternoon in a local park, enjoying the warm weather.  Jeff and Lucy had been discussing what they should do for Virgil's second birthday, even though it was a couple of months away yet.  Jeff was sorting the boys out with drinks in the kitchen when the phone rang.  Lucy went to answer it.

 "Hello?"

 "Lucy, it's Peter."  

 "Hi, how are you?"  Lucy was surprised but pleased to hear her brother's voice.

 "I'm fine.  I'm ringing because…it's Dad.  He's had a heart attack."

 "How is he?"  Lucy clutched at the phone so tightly that her knuckles went white.

 "Not good.  He's in intensive care at the moment.  Mum's with him."  The fact that Peter sounded as if he had to hold back a sob told Lucy more about her father's condition than any words could.

 "I'm coming over," she said, as if the hospital was just down the road.  "I'm going to get the next available flight out to England.  Tell mum I'll be there as soon as I can."

 "I will do."

 "I'll try and call you when I have a flight, else I'll have to phone when I'm in England, or Jeff can call you," Lucy said, trying to think.

 "Okay," Peter replied.  "I'll see you soon."  As soon as she put the phone down, Lucy almost ran upstairs to find a suitcase.  Jeff had seen that there was something wrong from her expression as she was on the phone, although he couldn't hear what she was saying, and after telling Scott to find a video for him and Virgil to watch, went upstairs to find his wife frantically running about putting things in a suitcase.

 "I have to fly back to the UK," Lucy said to him, without even looking up.  "My father's had a heart attack."

 "That's terrible," Jeff said.  "Is he going to be okay?"  He just got a shrug in response as Lucy flung some more items into the case.  He grabbed hold of her shoulders and swung her round to face him.

 "Slow down, Luce," he said. 

 "Jeff, please, I have to get to the airport," she said, desperation in her eyes.

 "I know, but try and calm down."

 "Calm down?  My father's dying!"

 "Getting into a state isn't going to help anybody, least of all him," Jeff said.  Lucy lowered her eyes.  Jeff gave her a small hug.

 "Have you got everything?"

 "I think so…oh, if I need something I can buy it.  I need my passport.  That's the main thing," Lucy said, doing up the suitcase.  Jeff went and dug around in a small bureau that was in a corner of their room and found her passport.  Lucy was already making her way down the stairs.  Jeff caught up with her and called Scott and Virgil.

 "Boys!  Come and get your shoes on," he said.

 "Why?" Scott was reluctant to leave the television.  Jeff turned it off and picked up Virgil, forcing Scott to come along.

 "We've got to take mommy to the airport," Jeff said.  Scott looked at his mother.

 "Why?" he asked again.

 "Your granddad isn't very well.  I've got to go and see him," Lucy explained.

 "Can I come with you?"

 "No, sweetheart.  Hurry up and get your shoes on," Lucy passed Scott a pair of sandals.

 "But I want to see Granddad!" Scott protested.  He didn't know Granddad as well as he did Grandpa, but he remembered the tall, thin man as being a source of treats and great adventures to distant worlds.  

 "Scott!" His mother's tone of voice was enough to quieten him for the moment, and he duly put on his sandals and followed his parents out to the car.  Soon enough, they had arrived at the airport, and Lucy had got a flight.  She was going to have to wait three hours for it though.  Jeff offered to wait with her, but she refused.

 "No, the boys will only get restless.  I'll be fine," she said.

 "Well, if you're sure…"

 "I am."  Lucy was set in her mind.  Jeff gave her a hug and a kiss.

 "Call me with any news," he said.

 "I will do," Lucy said.  She leant down and gave Scott a hug.  "Be good and look after your brother," she told him.  He smiled at her and nodded his head.  Lucy picked Virgil up and gave him a kiss and a cuddle.  

 "Goodbye, Virg," she said to him, before handing him to Jeff.  She squeezed Jeff's hand.

 "I'll speak to you soon," she said.  Jeff nodded.  He looked at the boys.

 "Come on, it's time for us to go," he said.  "We'll go and get an ice cream, shall we?"

 "Yeah!" Scott said, completely forgetting why they were at the airport at the mention of this.  Jeff gave his wife a backwards glance as they left.  She smiled at him, but it was strained.  He knew how close Lucy was to her father.  He was the person that she missed most of all when she came to live in America.  He hoped for her sake that her father would be okay.  

The initial signs were good.  Lucy had arrived at the hospital to find her father weak but conscious, and able to talk to her.  He had berated her at first for flying over whilst she was pregnant, but she retorted that she hadn't been left with much choice.  He was more interested in talking about Scott and Virgil and the one on the way rather than his own illness.

 "I know far too much about what's wrong with me," he told her.  "I haven't seen the boys for a while, so I'd rather hear about them."  Lucy obliged, feeling happy that at least she could manage to put a smile back on his face.  She had returned to the family home with her mother and brother to rest, her mother fussing around her.  Lucy was too tired and too worried about her father to tell her to stop it, so she took it the best she could.  Her mother meant well.  It was in the middle of the night that the phone call came from the hospital, telling them that John had suffered another heart attack but had not survived.  After helping her brother console their mother the best that they could, Lucy called Jeff at work in the afternoon to tell him the news.  He was upset at the news too, since he had always got on with John very well.  He wished he could be with Lucy, but did the best he could to comfort her over the phone.  Lucy stayed for just over a week more in England, until after the funeral had taken place before returning home.  Jeff worried for her, although she brushed off most of his concerns as usual.  She was distressed by her father's death – he was only fifty-four – but she knew that life had to go on.  Her father was gone, but she still had Jeff, Scott, Virgil and the new baby when it arrived.  At least she could take comfort in her family.

The early morning sunshine shone through into the living room, making Virgil's hair look almost brick red.  He had just finished his breakfast, and was glued to the television watching cartoons whilst his mother finished getting herself washed and dressed.  He was all alone for Scott had just started school recently, and looked to be enjoying it.  He seemed to have inherited his father's ability to do maths easily, and every night he came home bursting with things to tell his parents.  Jeff had been forced to take time off work recently after coming down with the flu, but he was well enough now to be able to take Scott to school.  He was hoping to be back at work the following week.  He hated not being able to be directly involved in his company, and Lucy had caught him several times on the phone when he should have been in bed, though he always denied he was doing something that could have been handled perfectly well by someone else.  Lucy came back downstairs, almost ready to sit down and do some work on an article she was writing for a magazine.  Being freelance was nice in that she was getting to do a variety of work, but all on her own terms.  She went over to the television and flicked the channel off from cartoons onto something else.  Virgil just looked at her.

 "You're not watching cartoons all day," she said to him.  "Let's get you some juice, shall we?"  Virgil returned his mother's smile, and followed her through to the kitchen.  Lucy couldn't believe how placid a toddler Virgil was.  He had his moments, but on the whole, he was far more even-tempered than Scott.  She was about to give him the juice, but instead he indicated that he wanted her to pick him up.  It meant that he wanted a cuddle.  Virgil was learning to talk as quickly as Scott had, but he still tended to rely on other means of communication.  Lucy was trying to get him to ask for things, but on this occasion she made an exception, and gave Virgil the cuddle he wanted.

 "You're a soppy thing," she said to him, affectionately.  He just smiled at her.  With Virgil in one arm, and carrying the juice in her free hand, she made her way back into the living room with the intention of going into the study, but the television caught her eye.  The channel that she had turned over to had been a news one, and currently it was showing a live picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.  Clouds of black smoke billowed from the top of it, and the odd glimpse of fire could be seen.  Lucy set Virgil down next to her on the sofa with his juice.  The caption on the channel told her that a plane had crashed into the tower not too long ago.  The newsreaders were trying their best to make sense of it all.  Currently, the plane was thought to be a small one, but even Lucy knew that a small plane couldn't have made an impact like that.  She looked at the fire burning, and wondered how it was going to be put out.  Clearly, all the lines to the sprinklers had to have been severed.  She hoped that not too many people had been injured or killed.  It was inevitable that someone in the tower had died in the impact.  One of the newsreaders mentioned terrorism, but Lucy met this idea with a degree of scepticism.  Having grown up with what seemed like an endless cycle of bombs and shootings in the news because of the troubles in Northern Ireland, she had a pretty good idea of what terrorism was.

 "Terrorists plant bombs or shoot people.  They don't fly planes into buildings," she said out loud, though she could not deny that there was something very odd about a plane colliding with the tallest structure in New York City on a perfectly clear, sunny day.  She turned onto another news channel where a reporter was going to pieces, doing the stereotypical "Oh my God!" thing, so she found yet another channel where things seemed calmer.  At that point, Jeff came home.  He began to say something to her about an unrelated matter, but Lucy interrupted him.

 "Look at this," she said.  "A plane's gone into the World Trade Center."

 "What happened?" Jeff asked, coming to sit next to her, his eyes fixed on the television screen.

 "They don't know.  It's only just occurred," she replied.  "It looks as if the top of it will collapse.  I can see it listing."  The engineer in Jeff took over as he looked at the burning building.

 "Well, the plane hit near the top, so most of it should be okay.  If the plane had hit further down, towards the middle of the tower, then there'd be problems," he said.  Lucy was about to reply when a plane came into view.  She couldn't really judge the scale of things, and her immediate thought was that perhaps it was a little plane carrying water to try and put out the fire, but Jeff knew what it was.

 "That's a 747!" he exclaimed.  The newsreader had also noticed it.

 "There's a plane in the area…" she began, but seemed to trail into nothing as the plane passed behind the burning tower of the Trade Center.  Lucy's brain automatically traced the path of the plane, and she expected to see it emerge from behind the buildings, but instead all she saw was a huge orange fireball as the plane slammed into the second tower of the World Trade Center.  The shock numbed her so much that she couldn't even let out a gasp of surprise, and she could tell that the newsreaders were completely taken aback too.  One of them found their voice and began ad-libbing again to the pictures being relayed around the world.  Jeff noted that the second plane had hit the tower about halfway down.

 "That's not good," he said, watching black smoke billow upwards as an equally intense fire broke out in the second tower.  Lucy tried to comprehend what she was seeing.

 "It's first thing in the morning.  There can't have been too many people there," she said.  Jeff shook his head.

 "People would have been arriving for work.  Whoever's behind this wants maximum casualties, else it would have been done at night."  They continued to watch the coverage, unavoidably transfixed by the event.  Soon pictures began to come in showing the planes impacting from different points, and reports of hijackings came in.  A close up of the top of the first tower showed people hanging out of windows desperately wanting to be rescued.  A helicopter hovered nearby, helplessly.

 "Why doesn't someone do something?" Lucy asked.  "Why can't they go onto the roof and be lifted off?"

 "I don't know," Jeff replied, wondering the same thing.  Nothing seemed to be happening.  Part of him knew that nothing could be done.  The fires on what remained of the floors below those people were far too intense and the damage too great for anyone to even try and attempt a rescue from below.  He suspected that the heat and smoke were far too bad for a helicopter to get any closer than it already was.  Then there came a report of an explosion at the Pentagon.

 "The Pentagon?" Jeff exclaimed, almost leaping out of his seat.  Not long after came the first pictures of the Pentagon, with a black cloud billowing over it to one side. 

 "That's another plane," Lucy said in disbelief.  "Look at it.  It's got to be another plane."

 "What's going on?" Jeff wondered.  The news reports were coming in thick and fast.  In London, Canary Wharf and the London Stock Exchange had been evacuated over fears of an attack there.  The White House was also evacuated.  Speculation was already rife as to who was responsible for this attack on America.  Close ups from the Pentagon revealed that part of the building had collapsed.  Barely a few minutes had gone by when suddenly the pictures cut back to New York, where there seemed to be utter chaos.

 "What's happened?" Lucy asked Jeff.

 "It's collapsed!  The tower's collapsed!  It's not there anymore!" Jeff said, his voice rising slightly as he was unable to believe what he was seeing.  Virgil was unsettled by his father's agitation and clung onto his mother's arm.  She pulled him close to her, at the same time absent-mindedly running her hand over her stomach.  The baby was due in just over six weeks.  What kind of world was she going to bring it into?  She watched the cloud of white dust rise over Manhattan, hearing the reporter choking as he tried to find shelter.  She could hear sirens and shouts in the background.  She glanced at Jeff who looked pale and grim, and suddenly realised that he might well know people both at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center who had been caught up in the disaster unfolding before them.  For the first time, she was glad that he had been ill and was therefore at home with her right now.  A wave of guilt swept over her as she remembered that there were probably going to be many people tonight who would not be in the fortunate position she was in now.  Before Jeff and Lucy had time to digest the fact that part of the World Trade Center had come down, there was a report of another plane coming down in a field near Pittsburgh.  Lucy just covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head.  It was all too much.

 "The world's gone mad," she said softly, unable to keep the tears out of her eyes.  Jeff put an arm around her, but his eyes did not leave the television screen.  He couldn't even begin to understand how someone could commit such an horrific act, or think that they could achieve something by it.  He felt desperately sorry for the many people who had been caught up in the disaster, and hated the feeling of helplessness that he had.  He had some associates who worked in or around the Trade Center, and he was hoping that they would be okay.  Even as he watched, the other tower finally gave way, and another huge cloud of dust and debris covered Manhattan Island.  He couldn't help wondering if all the years of disaster movies had been tempting fate.  But nobody could have written a script that followed the events he had just witnessed.  They spent the rest of the day in a daze.  When Jeff brought Scott home from school, the five year old took one look at the television, which was showing replays of the twin towers on fire, and asked his mother what movie it was that she was watching.  Lucy could have cried at the innocence of her sons' question, but instead sat down with him and tried to explain what had happened.  Later that evening, Lucy peered round the door of the study to find Jeff sat on the floor looking at something.  She came into the room, and managed to negotiate the extra weight she was carrying in order to sit next to him.  It was then that she saw that he was looking at some of the many photographs of his space career, in particular the ones of the Earth.

 "What's the world come to?" he asked her, waving a hand over the photographs.  "How can someone be so deranged as to not only kill themselves but hundreds of people as well?"  Lucy didn't answer.  She could sense the anger in Jeff's voice, and knew that he was talking to himself as much as he was to her.  He continued his tirade.

 "And there's people out there who see it as something to celebrate?  That it serves us right?  I wouldn't wish that sort of attack on any nation in the world."  

 "I know you wouldn't.  Most people wouldn't," Lucy said, gently.

 "Then why did it happen?  Where do things go from here?" Jeff asked her.  Lucy simply looked back at him.  He sighed heavily.

 "I just wish that something could have been done," he said to her.  "Those poor people who'd rather jump than be burnt alive…" Lucy hushed him, and took hold of his hand.

 "Like you said, there just wasn't the possibility," she said to him.  They sat in silence.  Lucy got to her feet.

 "Come on, let's go to bed," she said, extending a hand to Jeff.  "We've seen more than enough today."  He hesitated at first, but then took it as he stood up.  He wrapped Lucy in a hug, feeling the bump caused by the baby press into him.  It gave him a sort of comfort.  

 "I don't know what I'd do without you," he said in her ear.  She just smiled at him, and led him out of the room and upstairs.  

  


_Author's Note: What Jeff and Lucy saw and said as they sat watching the events of September 11th 2001 on the television is based around how I, my mum and a family friend witnessed that day unfold. As I sat looking at the World Trade Center burning, the thought of International Rescue actually came into my mind, but that was followed by the horrible feeling of knowing that such an organisation didn't exist, and that there was going to be no miracle rescue of the people trapped inside. Perhaps someone like Jeff was watching too, and one day there will be an organisation like International Rescue - after all, Thunderbirds has held a special place in many people's hearts with regards to technology (Concorde was rolled out on its maiden flight to the Thunderbirds theme tune, engineers have proven that it is possible for Thunderbird 2 to fly with its forward pointing wings), so maybe someone will be inspired the same way with the human side of IR. _


	11. Shock and Surprise

_Author's Note: Thank you very much for the nice review, margj, but I'm not quite done yet - there's still a chapter or two to come! ^-^_

**Part Ten**

"No, I'm not carrying you!"  Lucy almost snapped.  She hadn't wanted to come out to the mall, but there were items of clothing that the boys needed and various other things that couldn't be put off from buying any longer.  Despite the snowy weather, the mall was busy.  Lucy had always thought that it was strange the way snow and hot weather each seemed to turn people into morons.  She had just spent the past two hours being jostled about and stood in long queues.  Not an ounce of courtesy seemed to exist towards her, despite having several bags of shopping, a pushchair and a two-year old who was also beginning to get bad tempered.  She was also pregnant for a fourth time.  Jeff had treated her to a surprise long weekend away in Rome for her birthday.  Free from the pressures of work and looking after three inquisitive boys, they ended up with more than just photographs as a lasting reminder of their trip.  Lucy and Jeff had never said no to another child, but they hadn't exactly said yes, either.  Still, maybe this one would be a little sister for the boys, although Scott had balked at the suggestion.  At nearly eight years old, he was at the age where girls were something to avoid.

 "I don't want a sister.  Girls are silly," he had insisted.

 "So you think I'm silly too?" Lucy had asked him, pretending to be hurt.

 "But you're not a girl, you're mommy," he replied.  Virgil seemed to be more concerned about the fact that the unborn baby didn't reply when he spoke to it.  He shouted "hello" to Lucy's stomach, then pressed his ear against the bump, listening intently for a response.

 "It's being very rude," he said, crossly.  He had an almost frightening comprehension of manners and what was right and wrong.

 "The baby can't say anything yet, Vee.  You have to wait until it is born and can learn to talk," Lucy told him, patiently.

 "Do mommies have girls and daddies have boys?" he asked, which lead to the inevitable birds and the bees talk.  That had been a week ago.  Lucy's mind returned to the present.  She looked down at the little blonde haired boy clinging to her leg.  His birth had been a welcome diversion from the consequences of September 11th.  They had christened him John after Lucy's father.  John had looked more like a china doll than a baby when he was born, so fine were his features.  Unlike his parents and elder brothers, John had fair hair, taking after Lucy's mother, Caroline, though his large sky blue eyes were reminiscent of his other grandmother, Josie.  John was a very clingy child, who as a baby would begin wailing as soon as his mother so much as left the room.  They had cured him of that with help from a neighbour, but he remained almost painfully shy and would rarely leave his parent's side if he could help it.  Lucy was dreading the time when he would have to start school.  But that was a couple of years away yet.  The present was demanding some immediate action.  She unwrapped John from her leg and took hold of his hand.

 "Do you want to go in the pushchair?" she asked him.  He shook his head and tried to get his mother to pick him up again.

 "I can't carry you, Jo Jo.  You can go in the 'chair, else you'll have to walk," Lucy told him, firmly.  John's lip began to tremble in that way that indicated a flood of tears was on the way.  Knowing exactly what was going to happen next, Lucy kept a firm hold on John's hand and began to walk towards the exit of the mall.  At least John would still walk with her, unlike Scott, who used to just sit on the floor and refuse to move.  Where they didn't differ as toddlers was at wailing their heads off at being made to do something they didn't like.  Ignoring the hard looks from those passers-by who didn't have children, Lucy finally made it out into the crisp air outside, breathing a sigh of relief.  It was over.  She was looking forward to getting home and having lunch and a hot drink.  On the way along the precinct that led to the car park, John decided that he was going to get into the pushchair after all, making Lucy stop.  She took the opportunity to rearrange the bags of shopping.  Suddenly, she felt a tug as someone pulled on her handbag.  What happened next was quick, yet it seemed to be in slow motion.  Instinctively, Lucy pulled back on the bag, her eyes connecting with those of the man who was trying to take it from her.  He pushed her against a rail, and she realised too late that she had lost her footing on the slippery paving and was falling down some steps…

 "…get her off the ground, onto that bench."  Lucy came back into consciousness to find herself being lifted off the ground by two men.  A second later, an excruciating pain pulsated from her left wrist up her arm as all her senses connected back together.  

 "She's come round," a woman's voice said.  Lucy looked to her left to see a dark-haired lady peering at her, concerned.

 "My wrist," Lucy murmured, and tried to sit up.  The woman made her stay still.

 "It's okay, honey.  There's an ambulance on the way.  You just stay there.  That was a nasty fall," she said, soothingly.  

 "Where's John?" Lucy asked, panicking.

 "He's right here," the woman said.  Lucy turned her head, and saw John crying his eyes out.  He ran over to her.  She managed to reach her good arm over her front so that she could hold out her hand.  He grabbed onto it, tightly.

 "It's okay, Jo Jo.  Mummy's here," Lucy said to him, trying to give him some assurance, although she felt detached from reality at the moment.  Another man joined them.

 "Bastard got away," he said, still out of breath.  He looked at Lucy.  "Is she okay?" he asked the dark-haired lady.

 "She's just come round," she replied.  She turned back to Lucy.  "I'm Kirsten.  What's your name?" she asked.

 "Lucy."

 "Lucy.  What's your little boy's name?" Kirsten asked.

 "John," Lucy replied.  "He's two and a half."

 "My little girl's about the same age.  Is he your first?"

 "No, I have two elder boys," Lucy said, relaxing a little as Kirsten continued to talk to her.

 "Three boys!  I bet they keep you busy," Kirsten said.

 "Yes, they do," Lucy replied.

 "Hoping for a girl this time?" Kirsten asked.

 "It would be nice," Lucy said.  Kirsten smiled at her, then looked to her side.  A second later, two paramedics appeared.  The people around Lucy proceeded to tell them what had happened, although most of it went over her head.  She was still dazed, besides being in pain.  Like a dream, Kirsten and the other people drifted away as Lucy was put into the ambulance.  Thankfully, the paramedic with her had managed to calm John down.  Somehow Lucy remembered her details, including Jeff's work number.  Once at the hospital, John was taken away to be looked after by a nurse, whilst Lucy was taken first to X-ray, to check the extent of the damage to her wrist.  Then she was taken to have a doctor check on the baby.  Lucy lay looking up at the ceiling, listening to the doctor's ums and ahs as he scanned her tummy and listened to the baby's heartbeat.

 "Hmm," he said.  "I'll just be a moment."  Lucy's heart began racing.

 "What's the matter?" she asked the nurse with her.

 "Don't worry," the nurse said.  "They quite often do this."  The doctor came back in with another doctor, who also looked at the scan and listened.  He looked at the first doctor.

 "Yes, we need to do an emergency caesarean," he said quietly, although Lucy still picked it up.

 "Why?" she asked, her eyes widening.  "What's wrong?"  The nurse tried to calm her.

 "I'm sorry, but the baby is in distress.  We need to operate straight away," the doctor said.

 "But it's not due for another two months!" Lucy exclaimed, almost shrieking in her panic.

 "I'm afraid we have no other option," the doctor replied.  He nodded at the nurse.  Almost immediately, Lucy was being rushed along more endless corridors.  She had never been more terrified in her life, and fought to control the shaking that seemed to have taken over her body.  After three pregnancies that had been reasonably straightforward, this was a horrible, shocking thing to have to go through.  She watched the fluorescent lights whip by, only to be replaced by the sterile environment of an operating theatre.  Lucy blinked back some tears.  How could such a straightforward day turn into such a nightmare?

A while later, Lucy was resting after her ordeal.  Her wrist had been confirmed as being broken, but it was feeling more comfortable now that it had been plastered and she had been given painkillers.  She hadn't seen her reflection, but she gathered from the fact that a nurse had been busy cleaning her face that she was a bit of a mess.  The sound of the door to her room opening made her open her eyes.

 "I didn't wake you, did I?"

 "No, not at all." Lucy said.  Jeff came over and gave her a hug before sitting down next to her.  

 "Did you come here straight from New York?" Lucy asked.  Jeff brushed some stray strands of her hair away from her face.

 "Of course I did," he said, sounding surprised.  "How are you feeling?" he asked.

 "Tired," Lucy replied.  "It's all the stuff they've given me.  Have you spoken to the police?"

 "Yes, they told me what happened," Jeff said, pushing his anger aside for the moment.

 "I don't remember much of it to be honest," Lucy told him.

 "It doesn't matter," Jeff said.

 "If I hadn't held onto my bag…" Lucy began, but Jeff hushed her.

 "It's not your fault, sweetie."

 "But…"

 "Lucy."  Despite his eyes being full of concern, Jeff's voice was stern enough to make Lucy quieten.  She let out a small sigh.  She didn't have the energy to argue anyway.

 "Have you seen the baby?" Jeff asked.

 "No.  I know it's a boy," Lucy said, managing a small smile.  "But as soon as he was out, they took him away to intensive care."  Her face took on an anxious look.  "The doctor said that if everything is okay later, I can go and see him."

 "I'm sure it will be," Jeff said.  "Premature babies have a good chance these days."

 "I know…I'll feel happier when I've seen him."

 "So will I," Jeff said.  "I'll take John home and make sure the other two are okay, then come back."

 "Where is John?" Lucy asked.

 "He's still with the nurses.  I left him with them so I could come and talk to you."

 "Who's going to look after the boys?" Lucy asked.

 "Don't worry about that.  I'll sort it all out," Jeff replied.  He gave her a kiss.  She sighed again and looked down at her broken wrist.

 "I went out for some socks, and came back with a broken wrist and a baby," she said.  "Tell me how that's supposed to work."  Jeff smiled at her, glad that she hadn't lost her sense of humour.  He had been away in New York, not expecting to have to come home until tomorrow.  His business had really taken off the ground recently, but it meant spending the occasional two or three days away from home.  The family was used to it now, but Jeff wished that people were more receptive to the idea of working from home.  When his own business was a little bigger, he planned to implement just that sort of system, enabling people to organise their lives into a more comfortable mix of work and family.  Just because he owned an engineering business didn't mean that he couldn't be innovative in other ways.  He was enjoying watching his business grow, surprised and pleased to see it developing better than he had expected it to.  Of course, it wasn't just down to him – he might own Tracy Industries, and make the big decisions, but he couldn't have done it without the help and support of various people, the most prominent of which was his wife.  If she hadn't had her almost endless optimism and the ability to make a bad day seem not quite so bad, he doubted that he could have progressed as well as he had done.  Sometimes he looked at her fussing around the children and wondered what sort of career she could have had…but then he would tell himself to stop being silly.  Lucy would have left him long ago if she were unhappy with her life.  She adored the boys, and Jeff knew that she wouldn't be without them.  Neither would he for that matter, even when they were being little terrors.  He looked at her, wishing he could make the scratches and scrapes on her face go away.  If he ever got hold of the bastard responsible…God knows what he'd do.  For the first time in his life, Jeff had actually felt inclined to kill someone.  He composed himself.  Even if he went through with it, he'd land himself in jail and what good would that do anyone, least of all Lucy and the boys?

 It was time to go and see the baby for the first time.  Lucy was wrapped up cosily in her dressing gown, slippers on her feet, being wheeled along in a wheelchair.  She felt like someone's grandmother.  Her appearance was the least of her concerns at the moment though.  They entered the area where the premature babies were treated, the doctor guiding them over to where their son was.  Lucy realised that she had been holding her breath, and exhaled slowly.  She and Jeff peered into the incubation chamber at the tiny form.  Impossibly tiny.  Lucy reached out and carefully touched the baby.  They had been told that they wouldn't be allowed to hold him for the time being.

 "He's so small," Lucy said, softly.  Jeff nodded in agreement.  He was amazed at how well formed the baby was despite his size.  The only thing that prevented them from getting a good look at his features was the breathing tube and ungainly plaster that held it in place.  He realised that Lucy was crying quietly and crouched down to comfort her.  It was rare to see her in tears, and he hated to see her so upset.  He looked at the little scrap of life again.  He'd sacrifice his own business if it would enable the baby to live.  Ultimately though, he knew that there was nothing he could do except sit and pray that his newest son would have the strength to make it through the first few days of his life.

Lucy was still in hospital two days later.  The boys had all been to see her, and Jeff had taken Scott and Virgil to see their new brother.  So far, the signs were good although he would remain in hospital for a few weeks yet.  Lucy herself would be going home tomorrow.  There was a knock on her door.

 "Come in," she said.  The door opened, and in stepped a familiar face.

 "Tom!" Lucy exclaimed, a smile spreading across her face.  Tom came over to her.

 "For you," he said, giving her some flowers.

 "Thank you," she said, sniffing them.

 "How are you?" he asked, sitting down.

 "A bit sore, but I'm okay," she replied.  "How did you know?"

 "I saw it on the wires," he said.  "I would have come yesterday, but I couldn't get away."

 "You didn't have to come all this way," Lucy said.

 "I took advantage of one of the perks of the job and flew up," Tom said.  "Anyway, have they caught him?"

 "No, not yet.  They've got some CCTV footage, but they're still trying to identify him," Lucy replied.

 "How's the baby?"

 "Not bad.  The doctors say that if he makes it through this first week, he stands a good chance," Lucy said.

 "If he's anything like his mother, he'll hang in there," Tom smiled.  Lucy laughed.

 "People keep saying that.  Where did I get such a reputation from?"

 "Well, looking after four boys isn't something everyone can do," Tom replied.  "What have you called him?"

 "Gordon.  I liked George, but Jeff wasn't keen."

 "No, there's far too many Georges around," Tom said.  "Same with Jack and James.  Nearly everyone at work seems to have a kid called by one of those names."

 "How are things going at work?"  Lucy asked.

 "Great.  Hard work, but it's enjoyable," Tom said.  He smiled at her.  "Just a shame that you decided to bail out."

 "I couldn't have coped with the boys and a full time career.  What I do at the moment suits me just fine," Lucy replied.

 "I know, it's just that you had a lot going for you.  I happen to know that a couple of big networks were preparing to headhunt you," Tom said.

 "Really?  Well I wouldn't have taken the offer up," Lucy said.

 "Why not?" Tom asked.  

 "It wouldn't have been me.  I'm not a front line person.  Besides, the boys don't need both their parents to be well-known," Lucy replied.  She smiled at Tom.  "When you get round to having a family, you'll understand."

 "I can't see that happening in the near future," Tom said.

 "Why not?  You've got a big enough fan club," Lucy grinned.  "The things some people write about you on message boards…" She trailed off, not needing to add anything else.  Tom blushed, but still smiled at Lucy.

 "Well, I found the right lady, but she didn't find me," he said.  He looked at the plaster cast on her wrist.  "I bet that's a bit of a bummer, being a leftie."

 "It is.  The break isn't too bad, so it shouldn't be on for long, thank goodness," Lucy said.  "I'd ask you to sign it, but I'm afraid the boys didn't leave much room," she smiled, holding it up so Tom could see the childish scrawls that decorated the cast.

 "A work of art," he smiled.  Lucy was about to reply, when Jeff came in.

 "Hi Jeff," Tom said.

 "Tom," Jeff nodded, accordingly.  He gave Lucy a rather deliberate kiss on the cheek, and got a discreet pinch on his arm warning him to behave.

 "How's your business going?" Tom asked.

 "Not bad, thanks.  I'm hoping to move into new offices soon," Jeff replied.

 "Glad to hear it," Tom said.  "Well, I'd best be off I guess.  I need to be back in New York in time for my stint in the studio."  He stood up.

 "We'll have to arrange to meet up for a proper chat at some point," Lucy said.

 "Yes, I'd like that very much," Tom replied.  He kissed Lucy as deliberately as Jeff had done.  "Hope the little guy will be okay."

 "Thank you," Lucy said.  "I'll let you know how he gets on."

 "Sure.  Bye Lucy."  He turned to Jeff.  "Jeff."

 "Tom," Jeff replied, watching him go.  He turned to Lucy.

 "What was he doing here?" he asked.

 "He came to see me," Lucy replied.  "He came all the way from New York."

 "So did I," Jeff replied.  Lucy burst into giggles.

 "You two are as bad as each other," she said.

 "I don't know what you mean," Jeff said.

 "You would actually get on quite well with each other if you wanted to," Lucy said.

 "Yeah, well…" Jeff muttered.  Still, he was glad to see Lucy looking happy after what had been a difficult couple of days.  They were still in for a difficult few weeks though, but Jeff was sure that they would come through it.  

 "He's going to be coming home today, isn't he, Grandma?"

 "Yes dear, he's really coming home.  Be a good boy and put these biscuits on the table.  Don't eat any of them."  Josie watched as Scott gave her a mischievous grin and did as he was told.  The two elder boys were excited that their baby brother was finally being allowed home, Scott being particularly pleased since it coincided with the same week as his birthday.  Josie and Grant had decided to pay a short visit that would allow them to see their newest grandson and celebrate their eldest grandson's birthday at the same time, hence Josie had brought along some homemade treats.  She was busy organising the little party whilst Jeff and Lucy had gone to make the trip to the hospital for the last time.  Grant was helping his grandsons to organise the nibbles on the table.  John was fast asleep on the sofa.  Scott put a plate of freshly made sandwiches on the table as a finishing touch.  Satisfied that there was a suitable spread, Josie beckoned Scott and Virgil to her.

 "Close your eyes and hold out your hands," she said.  They did as they were told, and then opened their eyes to find that a large chocolate chip cookie had been given to each of them.

 "Thank you Grandma," they chorused, beginning to nibble on the cookies.  The sound of the front door made the two boys run into the hallway.  Josie could hear Jeff's voice telling them to calm down.  She stepped out of the kitchen and called to Scott and Virgil, telling them to go and sit in the living room with John.  Virgil obeyed instantly, Scott followed after a further rebuke from his father.  Josie followed her son and daughter-in-law through to the living room as well.  Jeff set the carrier down, and Grant and Josie came to peer at their little grandson.

 "My, he's just adorable," Josie said, making both the parents smile.  "And is that red hair I see?" she asked.

 "Yes, it is," Lucy said.

 "Well, he's got to be a tough little man," Grant said.

 "Not too tough, I hope," Jeff replied.  Scott and Virgil tried to push past him to see Gordon.

 "He's still quite small," Josie said.

 "For the moment, but they think that he'll be fine when he's older," Lucy replied.  "Anyway, he's bigger than he used to be, isn't he Vee?  Show Grandma how big Gordon was when you first saw him."

 "He was this big," Virgil said, indicating with his hands.

 "No he wasn't.  He was this big," said Scott, showing a slightly different distance with his hands.

 "He wasn't, Scott!"

 "He was!"

 "Boys!  Be quiet else you'll wake the baby," Jeff said.  The two boys subsided.  Soon after, Gordon was put into his own cot, and the rest of his family tucked into the food Josie had rustled up.  Lucy had been quite affected by Gordon's birth, because it made her realise how fortunate she had been with the first three.  She had chatted to some of the other mothers when she had visited Gordon, and had been touched by some of the stories.  Jeff had donated some money to the hospital in gratitude for their help in looking after Gordon.  Maybe she and Jeff could set up a proper fund between them to help people in difficulty.  Lucy stored the idea away for a time when she didn't have four boys demanding her attention.  Gordon was a happy, giggly baby with a very enticing cheeky smile.  He must have been the only baby in the world who cried when taken out of the bath rather than put in it.  Having him around actually helped John become less dependant on his mother because she couldn't have him at her side all the time.  Some people wondered if Gordon's difficult start in life meant that he had more of a place in his parent's hearts than the others, but Lucy knew that that was nonsense.  All of her children were special to her, for different reasons.  Summer came around again, bringing with it an almost familiar feeling.  After shooing the elder children away, she sat down with Jeff.

 "It'll be fun taking them away on holiday," Jeff said, watching Scott, Virgil and John playing a ball game that was already showing signs of turning into a brawl.

 "I think we'll be taking our lives in our hands," Lucy said.  Jeff chuckled.

 "No more than usual," he said.  Lucy smiled then took a sip of her drink.  She looked at Jeff.  He looked back at her with a smile. 

 "When we get back, we're going to have to look at having a bigger house," she said.  It took Jeff a few moments to cotton on to what she meant.  

 "Shit.  You're kidding me."


	12. Boys Will Be Boys

  


**Part Eleven**   


It was raining heavily.  Lucy scowled at the skies as she waited at the intersection for the lights to change.  It was only quarter past ten in the morning, yet she was already in a foul mood.  Everything seemed to be against her today.  She had been woken up by Gordon early in the morning, and as soon as she stepped out of bed, a raging headache seemed to envelope her head.  To make things worse, Scott and Virgil weren't exactly being cooperative with getting ready for school.  She had snapped at Jeff for not being more helpful, only to get a few sharp words in return.  Finally, she had got her troublesome elder sons off to school.  At least that was two of them occupied for the day.  John was back at home, being looked after by Elizabeth, who came round once or twice a week to do some general housework.  She had worked for them for almost a year now, and had been a godsend for Lucy.  The lights changed, and Lucy drove on.  She glanced in her rear view mirror at Gordon, who was babbling away to himself and found herself smiling a little.  She was on her way to the hospital for the first scan of the new baby.  Jeff and herself weren't the only ones to be gob smacked at being parents for the fifth time, most of their friends were too, especially since Gordon was only a few months old.  She thought back to the doctor's reaction. 

"Hmm.  I don't think I'd have recommended you having another baby so soon after your experience with the last one.  Still, so long as we keep an eye on you, I expect everything will be fine," she had said, with an air of "shouldn't you know better by now?" which Lucy had found rather insulting.  It wasn't as if they'd done something dirty, even if they lived in an age where it had become common for people to have only one or two children.  To have _five_ was unthinkable for some people.  To tell the truth, it was almost unthinkable for her too, but she knew that she had to get her head around it quickly.  Behind all the raised eyebrows, Lucy knew that the one unasked question that was foremost on people's minds was, 

 "They've already got four children.  How on Earth did they find the time to have another?"  Well, you just had to seize the opportunity, or at least, that's what seemed to have happened.  To be honest, Lucy couldn't remember much of the night she and Jeff had come back from a party, she being the one a little more worse for wear.  The last thing that she could properly remember was that Jeff had paid the babysitter and after he had locked the door, he came into the living room.  Lucy had promptly thrown her arms around his waist, almost knocking him to the ground.  After that, things were a little hazy.  She had been awoken the next morning by Jeff snoring down her ear, a change from the usual wake-up call courtesy of at least one of the children.  Long gone for Jeff and Lucy were lazy Sunday mornings.  At least they didn't have to move home, which Lucy had first feared they would have to do.  The house was of a modest size, and the boys shared rooms, but they would have struggled to fit in another child.  Fortunately, Jeff had worked out that there was room for an extension over the garage, and had set about organising the building of that.  They had become well settled in Boston and the neighbourhood they lived in.  Scott was happy at school, and Virgil looked to be settling in there too, so it would have been such a shame to move them.  Lucy pulled into the hospital grounds, her mood clouding again as she hunted for a car parking space.  Eventually though, she made her way to her appointment, Gordon tucked up in his carrier.  The nurses cooed over him whilst Lucy had her scan.  She felt a wave of nerves sweep over her as she recalled that the last time she had a scan was just before they rushed her to theatre to have Gordon.  But the anxiety soon passed as she looked towards the screen and got her first look at the baby.  With all her children, this had always been the moment that really made her feel as if she were pregnant.

 "I don't think that there's anything to worry about there," the nurse smiled at her.

 "That's good," Lucy smiled back.  Soon she was on her way again, this time to meet a friend for a coffee.  Later in the evening, she was making dinner for the family.  One of the things that she was quite proud of achieving over the years was the ability to make something more than beans on toast.  It hadn't been something that came easily to her, and in the early days, Jeff had become used to getting home from the space centre and walking into the smell of something burning or having something 'experimental' placed in front of him on the nights when it had been Lucy's turn to cook.  Josie had been helpful in handing out tips without being intrusive, and though Lucy knew that she'd never be the cook her mother in law was – most people would struggle to do that – practice had made almost perfect.  Lucy darted about the kitchen, stirring vegetables, turning over the meat, calling Scott to come and help her out.  Unsurprisingly, he didn't appear, being too busy watching the television.  However, someone else came into the kitchen who gave her a hug.  She turned and smiled at Jeff, their minor altercation that morning forgotten.

 "I didn't hear you come in," she said.

 "You're busy," he replied.  "Smells nice."

 "Good," Lucy said.

 "How was the hospital?"

 "Fine.  Everything's okay.  The pictures are on the side there," Lucy said, indicating with a nod of her head.  Jeff went and picked the envelope up and had a look.

 "Have the boys seen them?"

 "Yep.  I think that March seems a bit far off for them though."

 "Six months is a lifetime at that age," Jeff smiled.  "I'll go and get Scott away from the TV."

 "Oh, leave him," Lucy said, not really in the mood for dealing with a sulky child.  She grinned at Jeff.  "You're here now."

 "Yeah, so I am.  I'll go and say hi to the boys then come and give you a hand," Jeff replied.  Lucy just gave him a look, knowing full well that she wouldn't see him again until the meal was ready.  It was not because he was against helping out, it was just because he got so caught up with the boys.  

 "I'll come back," he said, knowing what she was thinking.  Lucy smiled at him.

 "Of course you will," she said.

Autumn was well underway now, with the trees an orchestra of colours.  The days were getting shorter, but the weather had held for the past few days, allowing the boys to still play outside.  John had just celebrated his third birthday, and was busy zooming around on a tricycle his parents had bought him, Virgil shouting encouragement to him.  Scott meanwhile, was bored.  He wasn't interested in joining Virgil and John, his father was busy sorting some business out, and his mother was dealing with Gordon.  Scott peered out of the treehouse that was at the bottom of the garden.  His father and grandfather had built it not long after they had moved into the house.  Scott looked round the garden.  There were two other trees there.  One was a little Evergreen, the other an old apple tree.  He looked at the apple tree.  It had lovely, spreading branches which just looked to be made for climbing.  He couldn't do it without help though, so he made his way down from the treehouse, and over to where Virgil was.

 "Let's climb that tree," Scott said, pointing at it.

 "Daddy said we weren't allowed," Virgil replied, looking shocked at the suggestion.

 "So?" Scott answered.  He went over to the tree.  Virgil followed, leaving John to cycle in circles by himself.

 "We need that chair," Scott said, looking over to the patio.  He went and got the plastic garden chair and dragged it across the lawn to the tree.

 "You go first," Scott said, trying to get Virgil to stand on the chair.

 "I don't want to," Virgil protested.

 "It's okay.  I'll help you," Scott assured.  Virgil looked back at him, uncertainly.  He didn't want to make his father angry, but he didn't want to go against his brother either.  Eight-and-a-half year old Scott seemed to loom over the five year old.  He made his decision and climbed onto the chair.

Meanwhile, Lucy had put Gordon to bed for an afternoon nap.  She took the opportunity to tidy away various toys and items of clothing that had somehow escaped from bedrooms, then made her way downstairs.  She heard Jeff finishing off a phone call as she passed the study.  It seemed a good time to see if the boys wanted a snack.  A yell from the back garden brought her into the kitchen faster than she had intended to go.  A yell was probably the wrong description.  It was more of a scream, the kind that instantly let Lucy know that something very bad had just happened.  She looked out of the kitchen window.

 "Jeff!" she yelled over her shoulder as she rushed outside.  She knelt down by Virgil, who was lying on the grass, not moving.  To her relief, his eyelids flickered slightly.   

 "Vee," she called softly, stroking the side of his face.  Jeff joined her.

 "What happened?" he asked, also kneeling down.

 "I don't know," Lucy said.  Jeff noticed the chair by the tree.

 "It looks as if he was trying to climb the tree," he said.  "I'll call 911."  He got up and quickly made his way back to the house.  Lucy tried to stay calm.  Just then, Virgil opened his eyes, blinked, then began whimpering softly.  Lucy took hold of his hand.

 "Mummy's here, darling.  Just stay still," she said.  John came over on his tricycle, wondering what was going on.  Lucy was about to ask Scott to come and keep him occupied when she realised that he was nowhere to be seen.

 "Scott!" she called.  He didn't appear.  She looked back at Virgil, wondering where Jeff had got to.

 "My leg hurts," he said.  Lucy could only smile reassuringly at him.

 "It'll feel better soon," she said.  Jeff reappeared, accompanied by two of their neighbours who lived next door.

 "Mitch and Terri will look after the others whilst we go with Virgil," Jeff said, crouching back down beside Lucy.

 "Oh, poor Virgie!" Terri exclaimed as she saw the little boy on the grass.  Lucy looked at Jeff.

 "I don't know where Scott is," she said, quietly.  Jeff looked around the garden.

 "He's probably in the treehouse," he said.  They heard the sound of a siren as the ambulance pulled up outside.  Mitch went to get the paramedics.  Soon they were fussing around Virgil, checking him over for obvious injuries.  Lucy stayed with him throughout, whilst Jeff went to look for Scott.  He looked everywhere, including the treehouse, but couldn't find him.  He suspected that Scott might well have had a hand in Virgil's accident – Virgil wouldn't take it upon himself to climb the apple tree.  He would only go in the treehouse if Scott or his parents were around.  The paramedics were ready to take Virgil to hospital, so Jeff gave up his search.  Mitch and Terri could keep a lookout for Scott.

Fortunately, Virgil had sustained nothing worse than a broken leg and a mild concussion from his fall.  Jeff and Lucy were allowed to take him home, but he would have to rest quietly.  At first he wouldn't tell them what had happened, but Jeff and Lucy managed to coax the story out of him.  

 "That boy is in trouble when we get home," Jeff seethed, referring to Scott.  They returned home in the early evening to find that Scott was still absent.

 "He was around earlier in the back yard, but when he saw that you were coming back, he disappeared again," Mitch said.  Jeff thanked them for looking after the other boys, then he helped Lucy get Virgil into bed.  After checking that Virgil was okay, and setting Jeff the task of making him a drink, Lucy decided to go and look for Scott.  It was getting dark.  She made her way outside, and stood in the middle of the lawn.

 "Scott!" she called.  "Scotty, where are you?"  She heard a thud from the treehouse, the kind that meant whoever was inside wanted to be found.  Lucy smiled to herself and proceeded to climb the ladder into the treehouse.  Inside was Scott, who looked back at her dolefully.   

 "Where have you been?" Lucy asked, sitting next to him.  Scott didn't answer her, not wanting to reveal the secret hiding place he had discovered some time ago.  There was a hole in the fence behind the garden shed, which was just large enough for a boy to squeeze through into Mitch and Terri's garden.  Nobody could see him there because on their side of the fence, there were a lot of shrubs.  Scott had hidden there, hearing first his mother, then his father call for him.  When he was sure that they had gone, he had crept out.  Despite the fear of being told off, he was now glad to see his mother.

 "Is Virg dead?" he asked her.  Lucy held in a laugh.

 "No, sweetheart.  He's hurt his head and has broken his leg, but he's not dead."

 "I thought he was because he didn't get up after he fell and he had his eyes closed," Scott said.

 "You shouldn't have made him climb the tree," Lucy said. 

 "I didn't mean for him to fall," Scott said.

 "I know you didn't.  But you know that dad has told you lots of times not to climb that tree."

 "Is dad very angry?" 

 "A little bit, Scott.  You broke a promise to him," Lucy replied.  

 "I'm sorry," Scott said.

 "You shouldn't be apologizing to me," Lucy said.  "You should be saying you're sorry to Virgil and your father.  Let's go back to the house."

 "No," Scott said.  "I don't want to."

 "Why not?" Lucy asked.

 "Because I don't," he said.  Lucy thought that perhaps he didn't like the thought that he had upset his father.  Scott idolized Jeff.

 "You can't stay out here," Lucy said.

 "Yes I can."  Scott was as resolute as Jeff could be. 

 "How can you?"

 "I just will."

 "Don't you want to see Virgil?" Lucy asked.  Although the light was dim, she saw Scott shrug his shoulders.

 "Virg wants to see you," she said.

 "Does he?" 

 "Yes.  So do your other brothers.  And dad does.  They'd all miss you if you didn't come back," Lucy said.  "I'd miss you, too."  She heard Scott sniff, and pulled him into a hug.  He hugged her back, glad that his mother wasn't too angry with him.  

 "Come on," she said, still cuddling him.  "It's getting cold.  I'm sure you want something to eat, don't you?"

 "Yes," Scott said in a small voice.  He allowed his mother to help him down from the treehouse and back into the warmth of the house.  Later, after Jeff had had a few words with him, Scott was allowed to go and see Virgil.  At first, Virgil wasn't too happy to see his older brother, but he accepted Scott's apology, and the promise that he was allowed to play with any of Scott's toys for a whole month.  Lucy checked in on them later when she herself was going to bed.  They were both fast asleep.  It had been a long day for them.  She got ready for bed, snuggling down under the covers.  Jeff soon joined her, feeling tired.

 "What a day," he said.

 "I knew something like that was going to happen eventually," Lucy said.

 "Yeah.  Guess that's not going to be the last broken bone," Jeff agreed, reluctantly.  Despite their young age, the boys had already caused each other various bumps and bruises.  Add Gordon and the new baby to the mixture, and the future looked to be a chaotic one.

 "I gave my brother concussion once," Lucy said.

 "Oh?" Jeff asked, intrigued.

 "It wasn't my fault.  I didn't know he was standing behind the bathroom door when I slammed it open," she replied, a grin on her face.  Jeff smiled back at her.

 "Of course you didn't," he said.

 "It's the truth, but no one believes me," she replied, still smiling.

 "I bet Peter didn't."

 "He still complains that he's got a dint in his head from it – oh."

 "What is it?"

 "I think the latest addition just said hi," Lucy said.  Jeff placed a hand on the small bump and felt another kick.

 "Number five is alive," he grinned, impersonating the robot from the film Short Circuit.  Lucy groaned and burst into laughter.

 "Jeffrey!  You're dreadful," she said, between giggles.

 "Am I really, Lucille?" he asked, running a hand through her hair.

 "Completely," she said.  "Totally and utterly…mmph!"


	13. Celebrations

**Part Twelve**   
  


Christmas that year proved to be a slightly fraught affair.  The family spent a few days in Kansas at Grant and Josie's farm.  On the surface, things seemed fine, however, Josie was concerned for Lucy.  She seemed exhausted, and spent most of Christmas day asleep.  Josie also noticed that there seemed to be an atmosphere between Lucy and Jeff.  Despite making a point of not involving herself in her son's marriage, Josie took Lucy aside.

 "Is everything okay?" she asked.  Lucy looked surprised and a little suspicious at the question.

 "Yes, it's fine," she replied, though in her heart she knew that it wasn't quite the truth.  She and Jeff seemed to have been arguing a lot recently.  Not big rows, but silly little arguments, the kind every couple had once in a while.  The difference was that they weren't rowing once in a while, more like every other day.  It was usually forgotten a short time later, but then something else seemed to crop up.  They were both stressed.  Jeff had problems with the business, and Lucy was tired from looking after one baby and expecting another.  But, Christmas passed and another year was upon them.  2005.  It sounded scary, even more so when it was considered that this coming July would be their tenth wedding anniversary.  Jeff had stored the fact carefully in his memory, but though Lucy tried, she couldn't see that far ahead.  All she could concentrate on was March, though not so much that she forgot to organise Gordon's first birthday party.  It gave her a lot of joy to see her little red-haired son thriving, considering a year ago he was a tiny, helpless thing with a small chance of survival.  Being Valentines Day, she herself received a box of her favourite chocolates and a meal at a nice restaurant in the evening.  Despite the recent cloud hanging over their marriage, they had a lovely evening together.  That they loved each other was never in any doubt, but they had fallen into a somewhat routine existence, and it was suiting neither of them.  Jeff was fed up with the amount of travelling he was having to do at the moment to sort out various problems with the company and Lucy was bored with being little more than a housewife.  She had little time to do writing or any of the other things that allowed her a break from "being Mrs Tracy" as she put it to her friend Karen in a phone conversation.  Karen was now a mother herself, though her own marriage was a short-lived affair.  She didn't want to see her friend go down the same route, however, and assured Lucy that everything would be fine.

 "Both of you could do with a break from the kids," Karen said.  "When the baby's old enough, you should go away somewhere by yourselves."

 "Maybe you're right," Lucy said.  "Well, I suppose we've done well to get this far before hitting a bad patch."  

 "Anyway, how's the baby?" Karen asked.

 "I think I'm going to give birth to the next Jackie Chan," Lucy replied.  "It's worse than Scott was."  In spite of everything, all was calm as she and Jeff walked about central Boston together, doing some last minute shopping before the baby was born.  Jeff had taken some time off work so he was around for the birth of the baby.  A babysitter was looking after John and Gordon.  Jeff thought that he and Lucy could get their shopping done a lot faster without them being slowed down by children.  They walked along, looking in windows.  Jeff was about to suggest that they go and take a break in a café, when Lucy grabbed his arm.

 "Jeff, it's started," she said. 

 "Already?  It's not due for two days," Jeff said, surprised. 

 "Well it's decided to come early," Lucy replied.  

 "Okay, give me your bags and I'll get a taxi," Jeff said.  There was little point in trying to go all the way back to where they had left their car.  Lucy held onto his arm as they moved to the roadside, where Jeff hailed a taxi.  He put the shopping in the front seat, then made sure Lucy was comfortable before getting in himself.

 "The hospital please," Jeff said.  The taxi driver took one look at Lucy and nodded.

 "You got it," he said, and sped off, only to hit bad traffic five minutes later.  There had just been an accident at an intersection.

 "Can't you go another way?" Jeff asked.

 "It's all one way round here.  If we can get a little further down the road then we can turn off," the driver said.  Nobody said anything for another few minutes.  Lucy suddenly gasped and clutched at the headrest in front of her.

 "Luce?" Jeff asked, alarmed.

 "I don't think I'm going to make the hospital," she groaned.  Jeff and the taxi driver just looked at her blankly.

 "What do you mean?" Jeff asked, shaking himself out of his stupor first.

 "The baby's not going to wait," Lucy said, making sure that the two men understood.  She began to get herself into a more comfortable position.  The taxi driver stared at her.

 "Umm…lady, can't you like, er…cross your legs?"

 "How about I cross your legs around your neck?" Lucy glared.  Jeff hushed her and spoke to the driver.

 "Look, you need to get us out of this traffic jam," he said.

 "But my car…" the driver began.

 "I'll pay for it.  Heck, I'll get you a new car if you like.  Just get us to the hospital.  I don't care how," Jeff said.  The taxi driver hesitated, looked at Lucy again then gritted his teeth and pulled the car out of the traffic jam, onto the pavement and down a side street, hoping that no police caught sight of him.  Once on a clear road again, he put his foot down.

 "How's it going?" he asked.

 "Keep driving," Jeff said.  He turned back to Lucy.  He had hold of her hand, and tried to support her the best he could in the conditions.  The baby might be coming quickly, but it certainly wasn't painlessly.  He was thankful that this wasn't their first child and both him and Lucy therefore knew what to do.  After another ten minutes, the taxi finally pulled in at the hospital entrance.  The driver hopped out and ran into the hospital to fetch a doctor.  He came running back out to the taxi and opened the door with the intention of helping Lucy out, only instead to find himself catching something.  He looked down at his arms and saw that he was holding a squealing baby.  

 "Here, use this."  Jeff snapped the driver out of his gaze.  He looked up and saw that Jeff had taken off his jacket and was holding it out for him.  The driver wrapped the baby up in it the best he could and handed it to Lucy.

 "Congratulations," he squeaked, looking more dazed than Lucy herself did.  She smiled at the baby and then looked at the driver.

 "David Seaman couldn't have caught that better," she said.

 "Who?" the driver asked.

 "It doesn't matter," Lucy said, still smiling.  "Thank you…" 

 "Al.  Alan Kolinsky."

 "Thank you, Alan."

 "Yes, thanks a lot," Jeff said.  He hugged Lucy, trying to get a look at the baby nestled in her arms.  "Are you okay?"

 "Yes, I think so," she replied.  The doctors arrived and shooed Alan out of the way so they could deal with Lucy and the baby.  Everything checked out, and Lucy was allowed to rest.

 "Five boys," she said, with a sense of disbelief.  "My mother is going to have a fit."  Jeff looked up from the baby and smiled at her.

 "Well, she's got Miranda so it's not like she's missed out," he said.  Miranda was Lucy's niece, who was a few months older than Gordon.  So far, she was Peter's only child and he professed that it would probably stay that way.  He wasn't keen to emulate his sister, much as he enjoyed his nephews when he saw them.

 "Yeah.  Actually, I'm quite happy we've got another boy.  If we'd had a girl now, she'd be spoilt to death," Lucy said.

 "I'm sure he'll be spoilt to death anyway, being the youngest," Jeff said.  "He's lovely, sweetie."  He gave the baby back to Lucy.

 "Yes, he is," Lucy said, smiling at him.  She then looked back at Jeff.

 "You know that we were thinking of William as a name…" she began.

 "I think Speedy Gonzalez would be more appropriate," Jeff interjected.  Lucy laughed.

 "Well, I think we should call him Alan instead," she said.

 "After the taxi driver?"

 "Yes.  What do you think?"

 "It's up to you.  I don't mind."

 "If you're not keen…" Lucy began, but Jeff sat next to her and put an arm affectionately around her.

 "You didn't get your way with the last one, so it's only fair you decide this time.  I'm not going to say no," he said.  

 "Alan it is, then," she smiled.  

Al the taxi driver dropped by later to check up on Lucy and the baby, and was delighted and touched to discover that the baby had been named after him.  Jeff kept his promise of looking after Al's expenses.  The boys were ecstatic about their new brother and argued over who got to look after him.  Alan on his part seemed unappreciative of their efforts.  He was a very demanding baby, who never seemed to go more than a couple of hours before deciding he wanted feeding or changing or simply someone to give him some attention.  He drove his parents up the wall despite their devotion to him, and did nothing to ease the underlying difficulty between them that had returned since the new baby feelings had gone away.  Something had to give, and it did, spectacularly.  Lucy and Jeff couldn't have said which one of them started the row, but it blew up with all the force of a hurricane.  They never fought in front of the boys, but it must have been unavoidable for them to hear it even though they were upstairs in bed.  They had never had an argument before that was so bad that it led to Jeff storming out of the house and left Lucy in tears.  Yet, like after any storm, a sort of calm seemed to descend.  Jeff returned home a couple of hours later, feeling ashamed of himself.  Ashamed that he had upset his wife so much, ashamed that he had let things get so out of control.  Sure, air your grievances, but there were more civilized ways of doing it.  He went up to the bedroom, expecting Lucy to be asleep, but she wasn't.  She hadn't even got changed for bed, but was lying on top of the covers.  Jeff looked at her, for once unsure what to say.  Lucy sat up.

 "I think we need to talk," she said.

 "Yes," Jeff said.  "Tomorrow…"

 "No, now.  I don't care if we're up all night; we need to sort this out.  Things should never have got this far," Lucy said, adamantly.  She got off the bed and faced him.

 "We'll go downstairs and discuss things over a drink," she said.  Jeff simply nodded in agreement and followed her.  They sat down at the kitchen table and began a lengthy talk, only interrupted once by Alan.

 "I don't like being away from home so much," Jeff said, as the conversation turned to his business.

 "I know you don't.  I don't like it any more than you do," Lucy said.  She looked him in the eyes.

 "I know how much the business means to you, and how much effort you've put into it, and God knows how we'd manage if you weren't successful, but don't you think that it is time you got some people to run things for you?"

 "Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind, Luce, but I don't know if I could let that happen," Jeff said.

 "You can't continue to be everywhere at once, especially not if you want to expand out into the other areas you're thinking about," Lucy replied.  "I'm not saying give up, but would it be so painful to let someone else take charge of certain aspects?"  Jeff pressed his lips together.  He knew that Lucy was right.  But he had been completely in charge since the beginning and he didn't like the idea of other people taking over parts of his job.  Yet how could he hope to continue his business plans properly by trying to run everything himself simultaneously?  Mentally, Jeff found himself banging his head against a wall, telling himself to wake up.  He was the first to admit that he didn't like the position he found himself in work-wise at the moment and besides, what was more important to him?  The damn company or his family?  If it were the former he may as well offer Lucy a divorce then and there.  He bit his lip, hating himself for even remotely considering the possibility.  Of course he didn't want that to happen.  So why was he procrastinating so much that he was in danger of making it happen?  He found his mind going back to when he was stranded on the island in the Pacific.  He wouldn't have survived that if he hadn't believed in other people being able to do a good job.  Jeff almost shook himself.  What the heck had happened to him?  He looked back at Lucy.

 "I'll sit down and work something out this weekend," he promised, absolutely meaning it.  

 "Good," Lucy said.  There was a brief silence before Jeff offered to make some fresh coffee.  After that, the conversation turned to the boys, then Lucy herself.

 "I've never felt as if I had a chance to recover properly from Gordon's birth," she admitted.  "Having Alan has just completely drained me.  I know that Scott and Virg are at school, and Elizabeth is great at helping out with the others and around the house, but I feel like I've left myself somewhere else.  I feel like I'm watching myself do things, not actually doing them."

 "You should have said something," Jeff scolded.  "I knew you were tired, but if I'd known it was that bad, I'd have done something about it."

 "I didn't want to complain, what with you sorting out the company and both of us dealing with the boys and everything else.  Besides, I'm not supposed to say things like 'I want to take a break from my kids', am I?" she said, dryly.  Jeff took a sip of his coffee.

 "Is that what you want?" he asked.  Lucy hesitated, as if she wished she hadn't said anything.

 "I…oh, you know that I love the boys.  It's just that…I want some time to myself," she eventually managed to say.  Jeff placed a hand on hers.

 "It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said.  "You deserve it."  Lucy took a breath.

 "I want to go back to the UK for a little bit.  This is going to sound really pathetic, but," she smiled at him, almost bashfully.  "I want my mother."

 "We'll arrange something for as soon as possible," Jeff smiled back at her. 

 "Are you sure?" Lucy asked.

 "Yes.  It'll do you the world of good.  I wish I'd thought of it myself for you," Jeff told her.  There was another small silence.  They both felt happier than they had done in a long while.  Lucy looked at Jeff's hand still on her own.  She smiled at him and placed her other hand on top of his.

 "Friends?" she asked.  Jeff put his other hand on hers.

 "Friends," he said, smiling at her.  Lucy glanced at the kitchen clock.

 "I think we should go to bed now," she said, standing up.  Jeff stifled a yawn.

 "That's a good suggestion," he said.  They returned to their bedroom, suddenly feeling extremely sleepy, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Two months later and Lucy was back under the sunny skies of Kent.  Despite her earlier wish to take a break from the boys, she had almost backed out of the idea not long before she was due to go.  Jeff made her take the trip, reminding her that it had been a while since she'd been back to England, and wouldn't it be nice to see people like Karen and Miranda?  Lucy had grudgingly gone ahead, though she had been reluctant to leave Alan behind.  But, if she were to be properly rested, then leave the baby behind she had to do.  Her mother had been overjoyed that Lucy was coming to visit.  Lucy was pleased to see her, too.  She still couldn't understand why she had a need to see her mother.  Of course she loved her mother, but she'd never been emotionally dependant on her.  Perhaps it was because she was feeling so run down and somehow some sort of instinct had come to life.  The first night there, she had fallen into a deep sleep, the first undisturbed sleep she had had for a while.  Caroline was not impressed by her daughter's state of fatigue, however she refrained from commenting upon it.  She knew that Lucy did not warmly receive any criticism of Jeff, especially if it was to do with herself or the boys.  After all, what did Caroline know of the ins and outs of Lucy's life these days?  Although they tried to see each other at least once a year, and were not slow in other communication, it wasn't the same as if they lived a smaller distance apart.  Caroline hadn't seen Alan yet, though Lucy had sent some photographs and brought some more recent ones over with her.  Five grandsons, yet how well did Caroline really know them?  She was as fond of them as she could be, however it would be true to say that she was much closer to her son's daughter, Miranda.  Caroline had arranged for a family lunch the following weekend.  It had been a long time since she had her own children together in such a setting.  Still, at least Lucy was getting some rest, and already appeared to be much brighter after only a few days.  She was over at Karen's at the moment, having a good catch up.

 "So, definitely no plans for a reserve for your five-a-side footie team?" Karen asked.

 "The day they're interested in football…no, Alan is absolutely the last one.  Given what I went through with Gordon, and then him, I think I've had my fair share," Lucy said. 

 "I'll say," Karen agreed.  "Been into Canterbury recently?"

 "No.  Mum wants me to go with her to do some shopping tomorrow," Lucy said.  "I haven't been into town for a good five years."

 "Some of it's changed," Karen said.  "But you'll recognise most of it."

 "It'll feel a bit strange, I think," Lucy replied.  "Especially if I bump into anyone I know."  Karen grinned suddenly.

 "You know, that reminds me.  I saw Rachel Jameson the other day when I was shopping."

 "Really?  How was she?"

 "She looked ancient," Karen said, still grinning.  "I looked at her and thought, 'There is a God!'"  The two women giggled, thinking back to their schooldays.  Rachel Jameson had been the resident bitch of their year.  Lucy never had much to do with her, but Karen had infamously tangled with her once.  The thought triggered a long conversation about days gone by.  They were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

 "That'll be Sam," Karen said, and went to answer it.  Sam was her new partner.  Karen introduced him to Lucy.  Lucy watched as Karen and Sam had a little private conversation.  He seemed nice enough.  She hoped that Karen would take her time with him though.  If she had done that with her ex-husband…

"Karen says that you've been over in the States for a few years now."  Sam interrupted her train of thought as he say down.

 "Yeah, I have.  Eleven years this fall," Lucy told him.

 "You can tell.  She's got a real American twang in her voice these days," Karen said, coming to sit down as well.

 "I haven't!" Lucy said, looking almost mortified.  Karen laughed at her expression.

 "If you heard yourself say what you just said to Sam, you'd know you have.  It's not that bad really.  You slip in and out of it with certain words."

 "My mother said something the other day, but I thought she was joking," Lucy said.

 "You still sound English, but not quite," Karen said, and screwed up her face.  "Oh…what's the word for it?"  She looked at Sam for help.

 "Transatlantic?" he offered.

 "Yes, that's it," Karen said.  She smiled at Lucy.  "You're transatlantic."

 "Thank you," Lucy replied.  They chatted away for a while, Sam being interested in hearing about life in America.  She felt a little bit wistful inside.  It was lovely to have some peace and quiet, but she still missed the boys and their father.  Nevertheless, it wouldn't be long until she saw them again.  The time in England was passing by fast.  It was nice to see her niece again though.  She hadn't seen her since she was a little baby.  Miranda was a pretty little thing, with large hazel-brown eyes, like Lucy's, and blonde curls, who zoomed around on her little legs as if time were in short supply.  After another week, it was time for Lucy to go home.  The trip had done her a world of good, and she returned feeling rejuvenated.  

 "I bet you want a holiday after looking after the rabble," she said to Jeff later on after the boys had all said hi to their mother and were then dispatched to amuse themselves.  He laughed, and put his arms around her.

 "Well, it's not a holiday, but as we've got a special date coming up, I've made plans," he said.

 "Oh?" Lucy smiled.  "And what are those?"

 "You'll have to wait and see," Jeff said.

 "That's not fair," Lucy pouted, putting her arms around his neck.

 "It'll be a nice day," Jeff said. His eyes took on a certain wicked gleam.  "Maybe even a nice night too."

 "Hmm…I don't know about that," Lucy said, in mock disapproval.  They sniggered between themselves before exchanging a kiss.  However, their lips had scarcely met for more than a couple of seconds before they heard the sound of giggling from the doorway.  

 "Alright, who's there?" Lucy demanded, light-heartedly.  The spy decided to take flight instead of revealing themselves.  Lucy decided from the sound of the footsteps running down the hallway that it was most likely to be Virgil, who delighted in loudly telling his grandmother the last time he'd seen her that,

 "Daddy pinched mommy's bottom whilst she was doing the washing up!"  Which was a fact that Jeff and Lucy would have preferred not to have had disclosed over dinner with Grant, Josie, Grant's sister, her husband and their son and his wife.  Lucy shook her head and shut the door so that any more prying eyes would be stopped.  She put her arms back around Jeff.

 "Where were we?" she asked.

 The view from the window was fantastic.  Jeff stood looking out at the scenery.  The lights of the city seemed to twinkle, but maybe that was due to the nice wine he and Lucy had had with their dinner.  For their tenth wedding anniversary, Jeff had taken Lucy back to New York, where they had first met.  He had treated her to all kinds of things during the day, plus a meal and a dance, and had also booked a room in one of the city's top hotels for them to stay in that night.  Lucy joined him at the window, an arm encircling his waist.

 "You spoil me too much," she said, gazing at the view.  Jeff kissed the top of her head.

 "I don't think I spoil you enough," he replied.  Lucy just smiled at him.  They stood there for a little while longer before Lucy, always the first one to tire of standing still, pulled Jeff away from the window and into the middle of the room where she got him into a slow sort of waltz.  Obviously she wasn't tired of dancing yet.

 "There's some champagne waiting to be drunk and a Jacuzzi waiting to be used," she grinned, mischievously.  

 "You're a mad, impulsive girl," Jeff answered, pulling her close.  She looked up at him.

 "Well, if I wasn't, I wouldn't be here," she smiled, fiddling with the top couple of buttons on his shirt.  

 "I know," Jeff replied.

 "I'd have stayed in England and probably be stuck in some really boring job, and you'd be married to some other woman," Lucy said, undoing another button.

 "After I met you?  I don't think so," Jeff replied.

 "We hardly knew each other after that night," Lucy said.

 "I knew enough," Jeff smiled.  "Anyway, you're the one who moved to a strange country to live with a man you only met in person a few times."

 "You invited me," Lucy answered, a playful look in her hazel-brown eyes.  "I could have been putting on an act for all you knew.  I could have been some weird psychotic woman."

 "You're not anyway?" Jeff asked, putting on a show of surprise.  Lucy gave a gentle slap to his chest.

 "Watch it," she said, undoing the rest of the shirt buttons.  Jeff was forced to let go of her as she slipped his shirt off.  He wrapped her in an embrace again and looked for the zip on her dress.  She stopped him.

 "Don't you think that we should draw the curtains first?" she asked.  Although it was unlikely that someone would be able to see in, Jeff heeded his wife's suggestion.  He turned to find that she had disappeared into the bathroom with the champagne.  He smiled to himself and followed her.

Later, the champagne had disappeared and the couple were in bed, Lucy curled up in Jeff's arms.  Jeff lazily stroked Lucy's hair.  He could never tire of the feeling of her bare skin against his.  She was still beautiful to him, still everything to him.  

 "I hope the next ten years are as good as the first ten years," he said to her.  She grunted sleepily in response, but it sounded like an agreement.  Satisfied, Jeff kissed her and turned off the light by the bed.  


	14. The End, And The Beginning

**Part Thirteen**

Jeff was awakened by something hitting him on the head. He muttered to himself. These days, he was used to waking up and finding at least one of the younger boys snuggled between himself and Lucy. He turned over to see who the perpetrator of his rude awakening was, only to find that it was his own dear wife who had clobbered him. Jeff turned to look at the clock on his bedside cabinet. 6.03am. He was surprised that Alan wasn't awake yet, yelling the house down and expecting the rest of his family to share his enthusiasm of being up at the crack of dawn. He looked back at Lucy. The movement of her eyes beneath the lids and her breathing suggested that she wasn't far from waking up herself. Over the years, her body clock seemed to have adjusted itself to wake up early even if none of the boys got to her first. He smiled at her, then lay on his back, arms folded underneath his head. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep now that he was awake, so he decided to lay back and enjoy the rare moment of early morning tranquillity. Beside him, Lucy turned over and sighed in her sleep. He looked at her and was tempted to wrap her in a hug, but decided to let her be. It was enough that the boys woke her up without him vying for her attention too. She seemed to sense his thoughts however, for she turned back over and looked at him.

"Morning," Jeff said. Lucy smiled at him and raised herself up on her elbow to look at the clock on Jeff's cabinet. She flopped back down and snuggled under the covers, closing her eyes again.

"It's amazing that Alan's not awake yet," Jeff said.

"Give him another few minutes," Lucy replied. Jeff snuggled up to her and she automatically placed an arm around his shoulders. She smiled when he kissed her forehead and opened her eyes again.

"What are you after?" she asked.

"You," he replied, with a smile.

"I think that you got me a long time ago," she said.

"Doesn't mean that I…" A crash from Alan's room interrupted his parent's love-in. They sighed in unison. Lucy gave her husband a kiss and disentangled herself from their embrace.

"I'd better go and see to him before he breaks something," she said.

"I'll go and make some breakfast," Jeff replied. Soon the usual Saturday morning operation was underway to get five boys fed, washed and dressed. Since Jeff had made changes in the way he ran his business, he found that he had time at the weekends to spend with his family. He and Lucy usually divided the boys up between them depending on who was doing what. They rarely took all five out together as pandemonium usually ensued. Today, Jeff was taking charge of the three eldest boys, whilst Lucy had the youngest two. Scott was into baseball at the moment, and had practice on Saturdays. Virgil had a piano lesson. He didn't usually have them at the weekend, but his teacher couldn't make the usual time. Virgil had begged his parents for piano lessons because two of his friends had started playing. They agreed, but Jeff made him promise that he had to keep them up for six months even if he didn't like them. Jeff wasn't into throwing his hard earnt money away. To his parent's delight, Virgil not only enjoyed playing the piano, but he showed a real gift for it. So they duly purchased a piano, which had use from all members of the family, whether they were talented or not. Lucy could play the piano, and had taken music at school, but she had never followed through with it. After shaking off her initial rustiness, she often sat with Virgil whilst he practiced. She had helped Virgil write his first song, a little rhyme about Barney and Lucky, their pet rabbits. Lucy had feared that they would become another chore for her, but the boys, Scott in particular, were fastidious about looking after them. The elder boys had wanted a dog, but as Jeff wasn't a pet person, something a little less conspicuous was decided upon. Meanwhile, John had been invited to a birthday party, and had been appropriately groomed for the occasion. He was waiting with Virgil, watching his brother play a simple tune. In the living room, Lucy was playing with Alan and Gordon. Alan was now just over two years old, and a handful when he wanted to be. When he was quiet, he looked just like a little cherub, with his blonde curls and bright blue eyes. Lucy called him her 'devil in disguise'. Right now she was chasing her little angel-come-devil and his red-haired brother around the sofa. She caught Alan and began tickling him. Gordon, not wanting to be left out came over and allowed himself to be 'caught' as well. She tickled both of them, making them squeal with laughter, until they had enough. She scooped them up into a hug and kissed both of them. Jeff came into the room and she looked up at him with a smile.

"We're almost ready to go," he said. Lucy let her mischievous youngest sons go and tussle with each other. She stood up and followed Jeff into the hallway.

"Have you got John's present for Ritchie?" she asked.

"Right here," Jeff replied, picking it up from a small table. Lucy called for John and Virgil, whilst Jeff went to find Scott. John came running immediately at the sound of his mother's voice and went and hugged her.

"Looking forward to the party?" Lucy asked him. He nodded. Lucy ruffled his hair.

"Go and get your smart shoes on," she said. John obliged, always willing to do as his mother asked. Lucy saw Scott appear, dressed in his baseball kit. He was about to walk straight past her out of the front door, when she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't I get a goodbye?" she asked.

"Mom! I'm not a baby," he protested. Lucy smiled at her eleven-year-old eldest son, and hugged him even closer.

"Oh, you'll always be my baby, Scott, even when you're as old as dad," she said, in that purposefully embarrassing manner only mothers could manage.

"Who's old?" Jeff asked, escorting Virgil towards the front door.

"She said you were," Scott said, escaping his mother's grip.

"I did not," Lucy answered, watching Scott make his way to Jeff's car, followed by Virgil and John.

"You're only a couple of years behind me," Jeff warned, good-naturedly. Lucy smiled back at him

"I'll see you later," she said. Jeff nodded at her as he stepped out of the door, a yell from Scott, worried about being late for baseball, giving him the hurry-up. Lucy turned her attention back to the two remaining boys in the living room, who were now intent on killing each other. She hid a smile as she watched them rolling around on the floor, pulling at each other's hair like a pair of girls.

"Right, that's enough," she said, trying not to laugh. They ignored her, so she stepped in and picked up the first one she could get hold of. It was Gordon, who looked at her in surprise.

"We've got to get ready to go out," she said to him, firmly. He just smiled at her, goofily. Nothing ever seemed to bother him. Lucy turned to look for Alan, only to find that he had wandered off into the hallway. She sighed. It was always a nightmare trying to get these two ready for anything. If she saw to Gordon, then Alan disappeared; if she dealt with Alan then Gordon vanished. Her mind, by now well used to the ways of little boys, quickly worked out the least painful way of solving the problem. With a determined look in her eyes, Lucy prepared to get Alan and Gordon ready to go out.

The highway was busy with weekend traffic, but at least it was moving steadily. Gordon and Alan were quiet for the time being, both absorbed in watching the other cars around them. Lucy went over the mental list of things that she had to get whilst she was out, among them being summer shoes for Gordon and Alan, socks for Scott…she was sure that there was something else, but she couldn't remember what. She let out a small sigh. It was annoying when that happened. The car approached a junction. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw a car coming down the slip road ahead of them to join the highway. It came down the road far too fast, and hit a car as it tried to force its way onto the highway. Chaos quickly ensued as Lucy found herself enveloped in the escalating carnage. All that Lucy could hear was the squeal of brakes as other vehicles swerved around her, followed by the crunch of metal as some crashed into each other. To her horror, a small truck swerved right in front of her and braked sharply as the driver found he had nowhere to go. Even as Lucy instinctively tried to avoid an accident, she knew she was going to go straight into the back of it. The impact did not knock her out completely and she found herself groggily raising her head to find that the remains of the back of the truck were centimetres away from her face. Another few inches and she'd have been decapitated. She tried to move and found that her legs were pinned. Somewhere through the confusion in her mind, she could hear Gordon and Alan wailing, both frightened to death. Not even really knowing what she was saying, she began talking to them, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't worry, mummy's just hurt herself a bit. We'll have some help soon. I'll be okay…"

Jeff glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Lucy was taking her time. Jeff had collected Virgil from his piano lesson and brought him home. He didn't have to worry about Scott as he was going to a friend's house straight from his baseball practice. He had collected John from the party he was attending, and was surprised to find that Lucy still wasn't home with Gordon and Alan. Maybe her outing was taking longer than she thought, or she had decided to take the boys for an ice cream or to the park. She usually left a message on his phone if she was going to take more than half an hour longer to do something, but there had been nothing. Jeff decided to try and phone her. He dialled her number. The line rang and rang, but there was no reply. He put the phone down. She probably had to deal with one of the boys. It was unusual that she was so late and hadn't phoned at all, but it was probably nothing to worry about. Jeff wandered past the room where Virgil was tinkering away on the piano, practising a new piece. He tended to turn to music when there was nothing else to do. John, on the other hand, turned to books. He seemed to have an insatiable appetite for stories, reflected in the fact that he had a reading age a couple of years above him. Jeff had told him to go and get changed when he came home from the party, but he hadn't come down from his room yet, meaning that he'd got caught up in some little dream world of his own. Suddenly, the phone rang. Thinking that it must be Lucy, Jeff went and answered it.

"Hi."

"I'd like to speak to Mr Tracy, please." Obviously it wasn't Lucy, and Jeff hastily adjusted the tone of his voice.

"Speaking."

"Mr Tracy, I'm Doctor Ivan Malloy at the Massachusetts General Hospital. I regret to have to inform you that your wife has been involved in an accident and is currently receiving treatment from us." Jeff's stomach suddenly seemed to knot itself into a little ball.

"What sort of accident? How is she?"

"There was an incident involving multiple vehicles on the Interstate. Your wife had to undergo some theatre, and is now being cared for in intensive care."

"What about the boys?" Jeff asked.

"Your sons escaped any serious injury, and are currently being looked after by nurses in our children's department. They will be able to go home when you come to the hospital," the doctor told him. Jeff breathed a partial sigh of relief. The boys were okay. But their mother…he had to get to the hospital. He told the doctor that he would be along shortly. After finishing the conversation, he told Virgil to look after John whilst he went next door. Fortunately, Terri was in, and came around straight away to keep an eye on the two boys whilst Jeff went to the hospital. The boys seemed a little confused, but they liked Terri, and she soon managed to distract their thoughts from wondering why their father had to suddenly leave. On his way out, Jeff picked up his mobile and made a call to the mother of Scott's friend, asking if it was okay for Scott to stay longer. She was fine about it, even offering to keep Scott for the night if the need arose. She promised not to mention the accident to Scott. Jeff made another phone call, driving as fast as he dared at the same time, mindful that it was a traffic accident that had put his wife in hospital.

"Mother? If I give you my credit card details, and dad makes the call, how quickly do you think you can fly over here?"

Upon arrival at the hospital, Jeff was first taken to see Gordon and Alan. Apart from being a bit shaken and having some minor cuts and bruises, they were fine. They had had a lucky escape. The front of the car had taken all of the impact. Understandably, they were overjoyed to see their father, but despite his relief at their well-being, Jeff was desperate to see his wife. He hastily dispatched the two and three year old boys back into the care of the nurses, and asked to be taken to the intensive care unit. Dr Malloy was on hand to meet him.

"Mr Tracy," he said, shaking his hand.

"How is she?" Jeff asked.

"As I told you, we had to perform an operation on Lucille. She sustained some serious injuries, and as a consequence lost a lot of blood. We've given her a transfusion but I'm afraid that we've also had to induce a coma to see if that will help her recover," Dr Malloy said. Jeff just stared at him.

"You're saying that she might not make it?" he asked. A sudden, dreadful fear gripped him.

"We're doing the best we can for her," Dr Malloy replied, gently. "I'll take you to her." He led Jeff to where Lucy was being treated. Jeff drew in a sharp breath. There on the bed was Lucy, though she was barely recognisable underneath all the bandages and tubes. Jeff felt his mouth go dry as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Is there anyone who you would like me to call for you?" Dr Malloy asked.

"No, thank you," Jeff replied. "I've dealt with that."

"Okay. I'll leave you alone with her. I suggest that the best thing to do is to talk to her," the doctor said.

"Talk to her?"

"Yes, just like you see on television. It is the recommended therapy for situations like this," Dr Malloy told him. Jeff just nodded his head, and sat down in a chair next to Lucy's bed.

"If you need anything, just ask one of the nurses," the doctor said. Jeff simply nodded his head again as Dr Malloy left the room. He sat for a few minutes, just looking at Lucy. Nothing seemed to be going through his numbed mind. Eventually he found himself taking hold of her hand.

"Hi sweetie, it's me," he began. He took a cautious look around the room, feeling self-conscious.

"Gordon and Alan are okay. My mother should be picking them up sometime, when she arrives from the farm," he continued. He sighed. "Oh, Lucy. Tell me this is a joke or that I'm just dreaming. You're going to be fine, aren't you? Everything's going to be just fine."

He couldn't have said how long he sat there with Lucy, willing her to get better. His mother arrived at what must have been around early evening. She wept when she saw Lucy, and tried to get her son to take a break from his vigil. He refused to leave Lucy's bedside, even for an hour or two, instead giving his mother the keys to his car, telling her that he wouldn't need it for the moment. Josie left the hospital with Gordon and Alan, deeply troubled, not just for Lucy, but for Jeff as well. She did the only thing she could in the circumstances and threw herself into looking after her grandsons. Meanwhile, Jeff stayed with Lucy, the minutes running into hours as the night passed by. He refused anything to eat, but accepted the odd cup of coffee that a nurse brought him. The doctors coming in and out of the room seemed almost invisible to him. If he had paid attention to them, he would have noticed the worried glances that they gave each other. Instead, he sat there, telling Lucy that she would pull through, trying to convince himself as much as her, if she could indeed hear him. The next interruption came when Dr Malloy came to see him. For the first time, Jeff noticed the clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it was just after nine o'clock in the morning. The doctor persuaded Jeff to leave Lucy for a few minutes so that they could talk outside.

"As you know, we've been monitoring Lucille all night," he began. He paused, and looked Jeff in the eyes.

"I'm afraid that the signs are that she isn't going to recover," he said, gravely.

"She's only been in one night. Give her a little more time," Jeff answered. Dr Malloy shook his head, sadly.

"The monitors are telling us that the only thing keeping her alive is the respirator," he said. Jeff looked back at him.

"You're asking me to switch it off, aren't you?" he asked, his voice low.

"I appreciate that it is not an easy decision, and it is not one that we come to lightly, either, however, under the circumstances, it is the most appropriate option," Dr Malloy replied. Jeff seemed bewildered for a moment, but then his mouth set in a grim line.

"I want a second opinion," he said.

"Mr Tracy…"

"That is my wife in there, Doctor, the mother of my children. I'm not going to pull the plug just like that," Jeff replied. He wasn't shouting, but he spoke in a manner that made Dr Malloy give in.

"Of course," he said. "I understand. I will see if there is someone available to confirm our diagnosis." He went and found another doctor, who, after studying Lucy's charts, backed Dr Malloy's decision. It took much persuasion to get Jeff to accept that Lucy was all but gone. He watched, stony faced, as they removed as much of the wires and tubes as they could before letting Jeff be alone with her for the last few moments. He took hold of her hand again, and stroked the side of her cheek.

"I'm here Lucy. I'm not going to leave you," he said, softly, keeping his eyes on her until he knew that she had gone.

No goodbyes, no I love you's, no deathbed speeches.

Just silence.

It took Jeff's mind a second or so to catch up with what had just happened. Lucy was dead. She wasn't going to come home.

Lucy was dead.

Then the tears came, the toll of the past few hours too great for Jeff to cope with any more. Still keeping hold of Lucy's hand, Jeff lowered his head, unable to prevent himself from sobbing. It was over.

It was a while later before Jeff arrived back home. Part of him didn't want to come back, but he knew that he had to, to tell his mother. To tell the boys. He snuck inside the house, somehow feeling a stranger. He found his mother in the kitchen, making a drink. She turned and looked at him.

"Jeff?" she asked, questioningly. He turned his head away, unable to say anything. Josie brought a hand up to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

"Oh no," she whispered. She recovered herself enough to reach out to her son. He waved her away.

"Where are the boys?" he asked.

"Gordon, Alan and Johnny are watching television. Scott and Virgil are outside, as you can see," Josie replied. "Jeff, you don't…"

"I have to, mother. The sooner, the better," he said.

"Do you want me to call Scott and Virgil?" Josie asked.

"Yes. I'm going to tell them and John together. The other two are too young to understand," Jeff said. Josie felt her heart break further as she realised that Gordon and Alan would be unlikely to remember anything about their mother when they were older. She looked at her own son and found herself worrying for him again. She knew well how much he kept things to himself. Lucy had helped ease that somewhat, but suddenly it seemed as if he had snapped shut again. In a situation such as this it wasn't healthy, and Josie was actually a little frightened at just how impassive Jeff seemed to be. She feared that he would try and bottle everything up until it came out at an inappropriate time, the worst case scenario being that it would be directed at one or more of the boys. She couldn't let that happen, for all their sakes. She knew how much Jeff had loved Lucy - that went without saying. She herself had looked on Lucy as a daughter. The thought of that beautiful girl, so full of life, no longer being around brought the tears to Josie's eyes again. She pulled herself together. She could grieve later when she returned to Kansas. Her help was needed here. She looked at Jeff.

"Where do you want me to send Scott and Virgil?" she asked.

"Tell them to come to my study," Jeff replied, and left the room to get John.

"Is mommy better yet?" John asked, as he was escorted to his father's study. Jeff hushed him, and waited for Scott and Virgil to come, which they did after a couple of minutes. Jeff looked at each of them, noting their expressions – John expectant, Virgil nonchalant and Scott worried, but trying to hide it.

"He knows something is up," Jeff thought. He tried to focus on what he was about to say, but he had no idea of how to say it.

"Boys…" he began. "I have something to tell you about your mother." He saw that they were waiting for him to continue.

"She was very poorly after the accident she had yesterday in the car with Gordon and Alan," Jeff said. He tried to search for a way of putting it.

"The doctors couldn't make her better," he said. "I'm sorry boys, but your mother is dead." The last few words just came tumbling out of his mouth. Scott turned and ran out of the room.

"Scott!" Jeff called after him, but it was no use. He looked back at John and Virgil. They both looked bewildered.

"Is mommy coming home?" John asked.

"No, Johnny. Mommy's not coming home," Jeff replied. That was enough for John, and also sent Virgil into tears. Jeff pulled both of them close, closing his eyes against more tears of his own. How quickly the world had turned upside down. He felt a pang inside when it suddenly occurred to him that he was going to have to phone up Lucy's family and tell them. He dreaded to think of how Caroline would take the news. He felt awful. He had worked so hard to convince Lucy's mother that he was someone who would take good care of her precious daughter, and now he was going to have to tell her that she was dead, only six years after her husband had passed away. God only knew how they were all going to cope in the coming days and weeks.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. There were legalities to sort out, people to contact and a funeral to arrange. Besides Lucy, three other people had died in the pile-up. In itself, the accident would have got some publicity, but when the media got wind of the fact that one of the victims was the wife of ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, owner of the multi-million pound Tracy Industries business, the event got nationwide coverage. For the press, it was the perfect human interest story – tragic accident leaves national hero a widow and five young boys without a mother. For Jeff, the extra publicity was another thorn in his side that he could have done without. But, it was only there for a day or two, and he was allowed to get on with what needed to be done. His mother had been a blessing for helping out with the boys. On the whole, they seemed to be holding up well, although there was a long way to go yet before the emotional wounds healed. Personally, Jeff wondered if they ever could. Despite doing his best to look controlled, inside he was torn up. He had lost not only his wife, but also his best friend. The first couple of nights after her death he had spent on the sofa, unable to bring himself to sleep in their bed. He probably would have drunk himself into a stupor too, if Josie hadn't wisely hidden his nearly full bottle of Scotch. She had tried to talk to him, but he had brushed her away each time. He didn't want to talk. Lucy had been the centre of his world for so long, and he wasn't ready to start rebuilding yet. Besides, he was finding it difficult to sit and grieve alone, what with the boys needing support, then at around the time of Lucy's funeral, having both of his parents plus Caroline and Peter staying in the house. Jeff had chickened out of telephoning Caroline in the end. He knew how highly strung she could be, and couldn't bring himself to tell her that Lucy had died whilst she was, in all likelihood, alone. So he had phoned Peter instead, although it still hadn't been an easy thing to do. He offered to pay for the flights to and from England for them, and for Lucy's friend, Karen, although she had to stay in a hotel as there was no room left in the house. The day of Lucy's funeral was a warm, sunny one. The service was a simple one, for neither Lucy nor Jeff were religious, and Lucy had never been someone who wanted a big deal made out of things.

"Oh, you can just pop me in a bin bag and chuck me in the ground," she had joked once, when they had had a discussion about what would happen if one of them passed away. Jeff had arranged for something a bit less rash for the occasion, but it was a service that he thought offered the love and respect that Lucy had from so many people, and reflected the person she had been; warm-hearted, humorous, determined. Certainly, it seemed to go down well with the many mourners. Jeff mingled with them when it was over.

"Jeff." A voice with a Texan edge to it made him turn round.

"Tom." Jeff faced his imaginary nemesis, noting how drawn he seemed.

"I just want to say how sorry I am for you and the boys," Tom began. He was being genuine, and Jeff accepted his condolences with a nod of the head.

"Lucy was a beautiful person," Tom continued. "But I guess that you don't need to be told that."

"No," Jeff replied, quietly.

"And at least you got to tell her…well…" Tom trailed off, unable to finish. If it had been any other occasion, Jeff might have enjoyed seeing him squirm. He had seen Tom Delaney at work on the television, delivering news bulletins and interviewing big names with consummate ease. To see him lost for words was a novelty. But, Lucy had tired of the silent war between Jeff and Tom a long time ago. Jeff did the only decent thing that he could. He offered his hand to Tom.

"Thank you for coming," he said. Tom took his hand and shook it.

"It was the least I could do," he replied. Jeff watched him disappear into the crowd. Amazing that after all these years, Tom still held a light for Lucy. But if he had loved her as much as Jeff had done, it shouldn't be a surprise. Jeff sighed, feeling older than his thirty-seven years. He knew that Lucy lived on through each of the boys, and her presence was still felt in the house, but it would never be the same as if she were still alive. He still had many questions that played on his mind, and no doubt would do so for years to come, that he would probably never find the answer to. His mother came over to him.

"We're ready to go, if you are, Jeff," she said. "Your father is waiting with the boys." Jeff took a last look around.

"Yes. I suppose I'm ready," he said. Josie looked at him sceptically, knowing that Jeff was far from ready for most things until he could begin to come to terms with Lucy's death. Perhaps she could help start that. She took Jeff's arm as they began to walk over to where the cars were parked.

"I think that the one thing about Lucy that stayed with me today was her ability to keep going no matter what obstacles were placed in her way," Josie said. Jeff knew what she was trying to do.

"Mother…" he began, but she interrupted him.

"Listen to me, Jeff. Just bear this in mind. Surely the best way to honour a person's memory is to take inspiration from them, instead of lamenting them?" Her eyes carried a certain determined look that Jeff was familiar with.

"I guess you're right," he finally mumbled. Josie smiled at him.

"I'm your mother, Jeffrey. I'm always right," she said. Jeff managed a small smile, which Josie was glad to see. She knew then at that point that somehow, someday, Lucy's death would not be meaningless, which in itself would be the most precious memorial of all to the russet-haired girl who came into Jeff's life and changed it forever for the better.

**The End.**

Author's Note: This story came out of an idea to fill out the background of Jeff Tracy, and to make Lucille more than a piano playing baby machine. I thought it would be a fairly short story, but it's turned into the longest thing I've ever written, and been far more successful than I ever thought it would be. Thank you for all the reviews – I'm glad people have enjoyed it. Expect another story sometime in the near future…


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